A Murder of Qrow
by MementoMori115
Summary: Never before in his life had Qrow experienced such an anomaly. Somehow he has ended up in an entirely different world. Dangerous beasts roaming the wilds? That's nothing new. However it is the horrible corruption that plagues the capital that has him concerned. Just how will he survive long enough to get back home? Now rated- M
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- Hey everyone! Thanks for reading my fanfic. This idea suddenly came to me one day and I decided to roll with it to see where it goes. I hope you like what I did in the first chapter. Qrow is one of my favorite RWBY characters and their seems to be no xovers like this where he goes to another world so I thought that would be interesting. I choose AgK because I thought he would fit in given his line of work and he can make a difference as well.**

 **For a heads up, I will be giving Night Raid Aura and Semblances, but I would like suggestions for what the Semblances should be.**

 **Be sure to leave a review.**

 **Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!**

 **(-)**

To say that things were not going as planned would be an understatement. First thing Tatsumi learns upon reaching the capital is that there is a massive influx of applicants for the military, meaning that his chances of rising through the ranks quickly are slim to nil, closer to nil. But fortunately for him, a ray of sunshine appeared to brighten his day.

This ray came in the form of a nice pair of brea- a nice woman who said that she had inside information on how to quickly rise up through the ranks and become an officer in no time. All he had to do was treat her to a meal. Unfortunately for Tatsumi, he had neglected to predict just how much the woman would eat and drink. Mostly drink as she was currently sitting across the table from him with quite the healthy shade of red dusting her face, indicating that at the very least she was buzzed. The numerous empty bottles of alcohol tantamount to that fact.

As the woman finished taking a swig from her mug she slammed it on the table before exhaling deeply. "Haaahhhh... Yeah~. Alcohol in the daytime really hits the spot!" she said as she slapped her free hand against the table.

Tatsumi on the other hand looked rather downtrodden as the woman continued to drink away. "You're drinking without too much regard for me." he said to the drunkard.

"Just drink lad! Let's have some fun!" she cheered.

"Just tell me how I can get commissioned." Tatsumi said dryly.

"Oohh..." she started as she picked up a full shot glass. "That's basically connections and cash." she then raised her glass and downed its contents in one swig.

"Cash...?" asked Tatsumi.

"I've got a contact in the army. Show him some money and you'll be on the fast track in no time." the woman said as she poured herself another glass.

"I see..." Tatsumi said as he rummaged through his pack for something. "Will this be enough?" he asked as he placed a large sack of coins on the table.

The woman's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow~! Definitely enough. You got quite a bit here."

"I was hunting danger beasts and getting rewards along the way as I traveled here. I'd say I did pretty good all things considered." Tatsumi boasted.

"I see... so you're strong then." the woman said almost somberly, but her mood quickly changed back to its original state. "This'll get you to captain right away." she said as she grabbed the sack of gold and threw it over her shoulder. "Just leave everything to Onee-san here~." the woman then got up from her seat and headed for the exit.

"Yeah! I'll leave it to you!" Tatsumi said in excitement, completely oblivious to the true nature of his deal.

The woman turned to wave at Tatsumi. "I think you'll learn a lot from your meeting with me young lad. M'kay. I'll go settle this so wait here for me." she said with a wink.

'Okay~!" Tatsumi waved back with a goofy smile on his face.

Meanwhile, nearby at the bar, sitting on one of the stools was a man who had taken a partial interest in their conversation. The man had black hair that was mostly slicked back save for his bangs that fell forward, along with faint stubble along his jawline. He wore a gray dress shirt with a long tail, black dress pants, black dress shoes, and a red tattered cloak. Several rings adorned his fingers and he wore a necklace with a crooked cross-shaped pendant. His red eyes gazed at the small glass in his hands, the bronze liquid swishing around as he rolled his wrist.

"Feh... kid doesn't even realize he just got swindled." he said as he brought the glass up to his lips and downed its contents.

"Mhmm." the bartender nodded in agreement as he cleaned one of the glasses and returned it to the rack. "You didn't feel like warning him?"

The man placed the empty glass back on the counter. "Nah, some lessons are best learned the hard way. Another." the man said as he shook his glass.

The bartender reached behind the bar and grabbed the particular bottle he had been serving to this particular customer. He then pooped the top and poured the man another glass. "So, what brings you to the capital?"

"Hnn, just traveling I suppose. Somehow I ended up here. Mind telling me the word of the street? Anything interesting?" the man asked as he grabbed his glass again.

"Nothing that you can't find out from anyone else. The capital is full of corruption. The nobles look down on us commoners and treat us like trash for the most part. Then you have the government and the heavy taxes that they force on the villages outside the capital. They're bleeding them dry and no one is doing a thing about it." the bartender sighed. "This place is full of monsters worse than any danger beast."

"It's the ones that hide in the flesh of man that are the most frightening." the man said as he gazed into his reflection in his drink before downing it as well.

"Another sir?"

"Nope. I think that'll be all for now." the man said as he stood up from his seat. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some coins that he had 'appropriated' and set them down on the counter.

"Thank you. Please come again."

The man reached down beside his seat and grabbed his sword that was leaning against the bar as well as a large rucksack that stood alongside it. He hefted the sack over his shoulder and headed out of the bar and onto the streets. This was the third bar he had been to and still no progress on finding out anything about his current predicament. Just more of the same story of 'the capital is dangerous'. Sure he had picked up some useful information such as that regarding to the danger beasts, however they just sounded like Grimm to him.

"I know where I am... but not **where** I am." he said as he made his way down the street, heading to the next likely source of information. The capital was large and, although the chances were slim, there was still the possibility that the next bar would have the information he needed. "I wonder how Oz is holding up without me. I need to find a way back to Remnant as soon as possible."

After a few hours going from bar to bar with little success, the man decided to start looking in a new direction. Perhaps this world had legends of dimension traveling beings or objects. If so, then there would be a good chance that they would be written of in a book. So the man decided to head for the nearest bookstore. It didn't take long as he happened upon a store called 'Book Night'. It was a plain looking store from the outside and when he headed in it was more or less the same. Books lined the shelves and small signs listed the various genres in each area.

"Ah, a new customer!" came a voice from the back of the room. Soon after a boy no older then 17 stepped into view. He wore a green jacket and had matching green hair with a set of red goggles strapped on top. "Welcome to my humble shop. Is there anything I can help you search for?"

"You own this shop?" asked the man incredulously.

"Yep!" the young man said proudly as he crossed his arms. "Why do you ask?"

"Meh, no reason. Just that you seem a little on the young side."

"That makes it all the more impressive! Does it not?" the green haired teen boasted.

"I guess so... Anyway, I was hoping to find a book of old legends and myths. You got anything like that?"

"Hmm, not much. I do have a few books, but not a very extensive collection of them. They're over in the fictional history section." the teen said as he pointed over to the corner.

"Thanks. I'll give it a look." the man said as he made his way over to the section. He began rifling through the bookshelf looking for anything relevent, but his search was turning up empty. Nothing that would explain his current situation. "Damn, maybe it was a Semblance after all."

Just as he was about to give up, a book caught his eye. The Legend of the Teigu. "Teigu?" the man said questioningly as he reached for the book. He opened it up and began to skim through the pages. According to the book, teigu were powerful weapons and items that were capable of impressive feats. They were constructed by the first Emperor as a way to combat the danger beasts, but had since scattered across the land. Inside the book was a list of known teigu. As the man skimmed the list, his eyes stopped on one teigu in particular. Skeleton Key: Reserare. According to the book, the key had the ability to open any lock or door. It also theorized that the key could open the doors between dimensions. The concept of alternate dimensions was something the man was skeptical of, but given his situation he decided to give it the benefit of doubt.

The man took the book up to the counter where he paid for it and then left. He finally had a promising lead. After leaving the bookstore, the man headed to a nearby park to read. He sat down on one of the benches and became absorbed in the book, taking in every detail about the teigu. "Damn, these are some pretty dangerous weapons if what this says about them is true."

Soon nightfall was upon him and the man needed to find a place to stay for the night. He was out of money and any viable marks to steal from were no longer on the streets, so it seemed that he would have to rough it outside for the night. Nothing he wasn't used to already.

The man found himself a nice place to sleep leaning up against a nearby fountain. He pulled a blanket out of his rucksack and threw it over himself before closing his eyes. Not long after he did so he heard the steady sound of horse hooves clacking against the stone road. They were getting closer and closer until they were practically right on top of him.

"Stop the carriage!" shouted a female voice to which the mans eyes cracked open. In front of him was an ornate carriage driven by two horses. There was a guard sitting at the reigns along with another two standing alongside him, and inside were two people. A young woman and, coincidentally enough, the young man who the man had seen get swindled at the bar earlier that day. "It seems that we have run across another poor soul who is left out on the streets."

"Again my lady? But we just picked up one." came the guards voice.

"I can't help it. Seeing those in need just brings out my inner kindness." said the girl as she stepped out of the carriage and approached the man. "Hello there."

"...Hello." came the mans delayed response.

"Tell me, are you here from the country?"

The man shrugged. "Something like that."

"And you are without a place to stay, no?"

"Nope. Just sleeping outside because I like the feeling of cold, hard stone against my back." he answered.

"Are you joking with me?" the girl asked as she tilted her head in confusion.

"Yep."

"Oh! Well, if you don't have a place to stay, then you are welcome to stay at my house."

The man was grateful for the girls offer, but he didn't have anyway of paying her for the hospitality. "Sorry toots, but I don't have any money to give you in return."

"Well of course you don't. Why else would you be sleeping outside?"

It was then that two of the guards approached. "Lady Aria can't leave people in need alone." said one of the guards.

"You should just accept her goodwill." recommended the other.

"What do you want to do?" asked the now named Aria.

"Well... I suppose it beats sleeping outside." the man was a bit skeptical of the offer, especially after what he had heard about all the nobles, but decided to go along with it for now. "Sure, I'll take you up on your offer."

"Then it's settled~." said Aria with a bright smile as she led the man over to the carriage. The two got in and soon were on their way again. "So tell me, what's your name?"

"Qrow." answered the man.

"Crow? What an odd name. You were named after a bird?" asked Aria.

"Kind of. But it's spelled Q-R-O-W."

"Oh, what an interesting name! Mine is Aria, but I'm sure you already figured that out." Aria said with a wave.

"And I'm Tatsumi." said the young man sitting across from Qrow.

"Yeah, you're that kid who got swindled out of all his money by the big breasted woman."

"WHAT?! You saw that?! Why didn't you say anything?!"

Qrow reached into his jacket and pulled out a flask. He unscrewed the top and took a swig from it. "The way I see it, some lessons are better learned the hard way." he said as he screwed the top back on his flask and returned it to his jacket pocket. "She had you hook, line, and sinker."

"Grrr, damn old man." Tatsumi grumbled

"Hey, don't call me old. I'm only 39."

"That's old in my book." said Tatsumi with a shit eating grin as he leaned back with his arms crossed.

"Tch, damn brat."

Soon enough the carriage stopped at a large and impressive mansion.

"Well, here we are." Aria said as she got out of the carriage. Qrow and Tatsumi followed suit as Aria led them to the front door. "It's not much, but I hope you like our house." she said as she opened the door and led them inside.

The inside of the house was just as impressive as the outside. It was lined with fancy artwork, furniture, and other nick-nacks. Qrow was somewhat impressed by its appearance, but he didn't let it show. Tatsumi on the other hand was gaping in awe at everything he saw. Aria made her way through the rooms with Qrow and Tatsumi following behind her until they reached the living room. Inside were some guards along with two adults who were surely Aria's parents.

"Ah, it seems Aria has brought in some more people." said the father.

"What a habit." responded the mother.

"I am Arthur. And it is with a humble heart that I welcome you to our home." spoke the father.

"And I am Margaret." said the mother.

"A pleasure to meet you!" said Tatsumi with a bow. "My name is Tatsumi and I am very grateful for your hospitality!"

"The name's Qrow. And though I may not show it like him," he said as he pointed to Tatsumi. "I am also thankful for you bringing me in."

"It's quite alright~. Make yourself at home." said Aria.

"Excuse me, there's also something I'd like to ask." spoke Tatsumi.

"Oh, and what would that be?" asked Arthur.

Tatsumi and Qrow took a seat on the couch before Tatsumi began regaling his tale of how he came to the capital in order to make it big in the military.

"I see, you want to become successful in the army in order to save your village." spoke Arthur.

"Yes." answered Tatsumi.

"What a wonderful dream." said Aria.

"But you know, it may be peaceful inside the Imperial capital, but this country is surrounded on three sides by different races. You could be brought over to the borders to fight against them." explained Arthur.

"I'm... prepared for that." said Tatsumi resolutely.

"I see, that's a commendable spirit. That's how the young should be."

"Did you come from that village by yourself Tatsumi?" asked Aria.

"No, with two other people actually..." Tatsumi said as he spoke of his friends Sayo and Ieyasu who had left with him and gotten separated.

"Oh dear. You poor thing." said Margaret.

"Those guys are strong so I'm not really worried. Just that Ieyasu is tremendously bad with directions, so I don't know if he can get to the capital where we're supposed to meet." said Tatsumi.

"I see!" Arthur said as he smacked his hand against the table. "I'll recommend you to an acquaintance in the military, and investigate hose two as well."

"Really?! Thank you so much!"

It was faint, but for some reason Qrow had the feeling that the man wasn't being entirely honest. Call it intuition, but he didn't feel like he could completely trust these people.

"And what of you Qrow? What brings you to the capital?" asked Aria.

"I'm... looking for something." he said cryptically.

"Oh, and what might this something be?"

"Sorry, but that is a secret." he said as he brought a finger up to his lips.

"Hmm, well I suppose we are all entitled to our own secrets, so I won't fault you for that." Arthur said as he got up out of his chair. "Alright. Why don't we leave it at that for now? This seems like a good enough time to turn in."

"Agreed." spoke Qrow.

"Umm, is there anything I can do to help while I'm here?" asked Tatsumi.

"Oh! You can be my body guard with the others." exclaimed Aria. "What about you Qrow? Would you like to help out as well?"

"I suppose so. It would be the least I can do."

"It's settled then. Gauri-kun, I'll let you handle it." Arthur said as he addressed one of the guards.

The guard nodded in understanding. "Understood."

The family retired to their rooms for the night while Tatsumi and Qrow were led to the guest rooms. Qrow placed his sword and bag against the wall before hopping in bed and taking one last drink from his flask. "Something ain't right here. I can just feel it."

 **(-)**

The next day Aria decided to go for a shopping trip and dragged Qrow and Tatsumi alongside her standard guards. Both Qrow and Tatsumi watched with shocked expressions as two of the guards who were with Aria were becoming completely over encumbered by the sheer amount of things she was buying.

"We're going to that shop next!" she said cheerfully as she led the guards along.

"Her shopping's amazing, isn't it? The amount is just getting silly now." said Gauri. "It's not just limited to her. All girls are like that."

"Is that so? The one I know know's what to pick right away." Tatsumi said as he though of Sayo.

"Gotta agree with Gauri here. My nieces love to go shopping as well." said Qrow as he leaned up against the carriage.

"Anyway, look up." Gauri said as he arched his neck back.

"Huh?" uttered Tatsumi.

"That's the center of the capital, the palace." Gauri said as the three gazed upon the massive structure above them.

"Seems a bit flashy to me." spoke Qrow.

"Humongous! Is that where the Emperor who controls the country is?!" asked Tatsumi.

"No..." said Gauri as his eyes shifted about before leaning in close to Tatsumi and Qrow. "It's a little different... There's an Emperor, but he's a child right now. The one that controls the Emperor from the shadows is the Minister. He's the ringleader that's rotting this country."

"Wha-!"

Gauri quickly put his hand over Tatsumi's mouth. "Whoah there. Don't go making any noise, alright? Heads will be rolling if you're heard."

"Then, the reason my village is suffering from heavy taxes..." Tatsumi said with clenched fists.

"It's the capital's common sense." Gauri said.

"Yeah. You can hear it in just about any bar if you listen well enough." said Qrow.

"Then there's guys like that as well." Gauri said as he pointed to some posters on a nearby wall.

"... Night Raid?" Tatsumi said as he read the poster.

"It's the group of assassins that's rattling the whole capital." answered Gauri. "Just as their name implies, they conduct nocturnal attacks on their targets. They mainly target high ranking or wealthy individuals in the capital. Just prepare yourself in case."

"Yes!" Tatsumi said as he raised his fist.

'Also... go do something about that for now." Gauri said as he pointed in another direction. Tatsumi and Qrow looked on in shock as the other two guards were following Aria whilst carrying an enormous box.

"Dear god! How much does she plan on buying?!"

Just as the guards got closer, one of them tripped on a broken stone and tumbled. The box in their hands flying out of their grip and its contents spilling out over Tatsumi in an avalanche, completely burying him.

"Sorry!" said one of the guards.

Tatsumi emerged from the pile soon after. "No problem." he grumbled.

Meanwhile Qrow had reached into his jacket and pulled out his flask again.

 **(-)**

Later that night when most of the house was asleep save for its owners... it happened. Tatsumi shot up out of bed once he felt a rather ominous feeling. "What's this? Blood thirst?!" he quickly grabbed his sword and rushed out the door where he was greeted by Qrow.

"You felt that too?" Qrow asked.

"Yeah. What's going on?"

"I'd hazard a guess at saying we're under attack."

The two of them rushed down the halls looking for whatever or whoever was emitting such bloodlust. and soon came to a stop in front of a window. They looked out into the sky and there above, standing on wires, were a group of five with the moon to their backs.

"That's... Night Raid!" shouted Tatsumi.

"Seems like it kid."

"They're targeting this place as well?! Just because they're wealthy?!"

"Maybe..." muttered Qrow. "You try and stay alive. I need to check something out that's been bothering me." Qrow said as he took off down the hall.

"Wait! Don't leave me!" Tatsumi shouted. but Qrow was already gone. He was surprisingly fast. "Damn it!" Tatsumi cursed as he looked back out the window to see several of the guards going out to fight.

' _Shit! Do I help them, or go protect Aria?!'_ Tatsumi thought as he watched in silent horror as the guards were quickly dispatched by the assassins. _'In one moment... Annihilated?! At the very least I have to protect Aria-san!'_ he thought as he grit his teeth and took off down the hall.

After a short search he found Aria along with the last guard who were heading towards a warehouse out back. "Aria! I finally found you!"

"Tatsumi!" shouted Aria.

"You came at just the right moment!" shouted the guard. "We'll run to the warehouse and wait for the guards to come! You hold them off in the meantime!"

"WHAAA?! That's crazy!" Tatsumi shouted, but turned around when he suddenly heard someone land behind him. It was one of the assassins he recognized from the wanted posters, Akame. "Argh! Damn it! I won't let you pass!" he said as he drew his sword.

The girl however, had no interest in him. "Not a target." she said monotonously as she jumped over Tatsumi and stepped on his shoulder to propel herself forward. She landed behind him and ran towards the guard.

"Fuck! She's coming this way!" The guard said as he raised his gun to fire at her, but when he pulled the trigger nothing happened. "A jam?! But I just took this out of the armory!" he shouted as the girl bore down on him and slashed at him horizontally, cutting him cleanly in half.

Akame then approached the fallen Aria with her blade pointed at her. "Target, eliminate."

"Wait Damn it!" Tatsumi shouted as he lunged at Akame and slashed at her with his sword. She easily back-stepped to avoid he strike and now Tatsumi stood in between her and Aria.

"You are not a target. There's no need to kill you." said Akame.

"But you're planning to kill this girl, right?!" shouted Tatsumi.

"Uh huh." Akame nodded.

"Uh huh?!" Tatsumi was somewhat caught off guard by her bluntness.

"I'll kill you if you get in the way, you know." she said stoically.

"Like I'd run because of that!" shouted Tatsumi as he leveled his sword at Akame.

"I see..." Akame said as she began to emit bloodlust. "Then I'll eliminate."

' _At the very least she's not someone who I can currently beat, but... I can't be worrying about that! Besides, there's no way a guy who can't save a single girl, could possibly save an entire village in the first place!'_ And with that thought Tatsumi rushed at Akame who in turn charged him as well.

The duo clashed swords before breaking apart from their stance. Tatsumi attempted to sweep at Akame's legs, but she jumped up instead and delivered a powerful kick to Tatsumi's shoulder. He recoiled in pain as she drove her blade forward in an attempt to skewer him, but just before it made contact, another large sword landed in the ground between the two of them and blocked her attack.

"Alright kiddies. I think that's enough playing around." came a rugged voice that Tatsumi recognized. He looked to the treeline and saw Qrow standing there in a post swing pose. It was his sword that had just saved Tatsumi's life.

"You are?" asked Akame.

"Name's Qrow. And unfortunately for you I can't allow you to kill an innocent."he said as he took out his signature flask and took a sip from it.

"Is this really the time to be drinking?!" shouted Tatsumi.

"I don't see why not. I was just in that warehouse, and quite frankly I need something to make me forget the horrors inside." he said somberly before turning his attention to Akame. "Feel free to kill the girl. I'll make sure Tatsumi doesn't interrupt."

"WHAT?! You're one of them?!" screamed Tatsumi.

"No, but that girl has to die."

"WHY?! Why does an innocent girl have to die?!"

"Innocent?" came a new voice, female by the sound of it. "Trust me, she is anything but innocent." said the newcomer as she made her way over to the group. She wore a very revealing outfit and had waist length blonde hair. "Hey there lad!" she spoke as she waved at Tatsumi.

"! You're the boob-" he started as he pointed at the woman.

"Yep! I'm the beautiful Onee-san from that time." said the woman. She then turned to face Qrow. "How did you figure it out?"

"I could smell it from the house." he answered to which most of the group quirked a brow but let it go nonetheless.

"Well then, allow me to show you just how 'innocent' this girl is." the woman said as she made her way over to the warehouse before kicking the doors open. "Take a look kid. This is the darkness of the capital."

Tatsumi made his way over to the open doors and what he saw made his stomach turn. Dead and dying people everywhere. Instruments of torture lined the walls and tables covered in dry blood. The scent of death and decay hung heavy in the air. It was enough to make him sick.

"Wha... What is this?!" he shouted in horror.

"They lure unidentified people from the country here with their sweet words and then subject them to their hobby of torture and toy with them until they die." explained the blonde. "That is the true nature of those of this household."

As Tatsumi scanned the bodies that were hanging from the ceiling, his eyes stopped on one in particular. "Sayo... hey... Sayo..." he called out weakly.

"Tat... su... mi..." she responded weakly.

"So there was someone you knew."

"SAYO!" he shouted as he ran over and cut her down before cradling her in his arms.

Meanwhile Aria decided to try and sneak off.

"Nuh uh." The blonde said as she grabbed Aria by the shirt. "You're not getting off the hook by running away, little lady."

"Yeah, this will be your last night." said Qrow as he retrieved his sword and wandered over to Tatsumi and Sayo. "Let me see her." Qrow said as he took a look at the dying girl. "She doesn't have much time left. I'll see what I can do."

"The people of the house did this?" asked Tatsumi.

"That's right." answered the blonde. "The guards were keeping quiet about it so they were similarly guilty."

"It... It's a lie! I didn't know there was a place like this! Are you going to believe me, the one who saved you, or these guys Tatsumi!" Aria pleaded.

"Tatsumi... Tatsumi. That's you right? It's me..." came a voice from one of the cages.

"I... Ieyasu?!" shouted Tatsumi as he recognized his other friend.

"Tatsumi! That girl invited me and Sayo here! And after we ate dinner, we fell unconscious and when we woke up we found ourselves here! Th-that girl... She tortured Sayo! Arghh!" he then shouted as he grasped his chest in pain and fell to his knees.

"What's so wrong?" asked Aria as she struggled free from the blondes grasp. "You're just worthless hicks from the country right?! That's the same as cattle! I should be free to treat them however I want!" Aria said hysterically. "Besides, that girl was so impertinent for having such straight hair despite being a farm animal! Even though I'm troubled with such unruly hair! That's why I agonized her so meticulously! In fact, she should be grateful for-" Aria rant was cut off when she felt a massive surge of killing intent coming from Qrow.

"SHUT. UP." he demanded. "I'm trying to work here. Someone kill her."

"Eliminate." said Akame as she readied her sword.

"Wait." came Tatsumi's voice.

"Don't tell me... are you trying to defend her again?" asked the blonde.

"No." Tatsumi said as he approached Aria. "I'll kill her myself." he said coldly as he drew his sword and slashed across her chest, cutting her in half in the process.

"Good, now maybe I can concentrate." spoke Qrow. He placed his palm on Sayo's head and began reciting something. "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of glory and virtue to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee."

Much to everyones shock, as soon as he finished, Qrow was enveloped in a faint red glow that then began to engulf Sayo as well. A few moments later some of her wounds began to fade and her eyes opened.

"I bought her an hour or two tops. She will still need a blood transfusion as well as other medical care." he explained.

"Ho-how did you do that?" asked Tatsumi.

"Now is not the time for explanations. Your other friend is next." Qrow said as he got up and made his way to Ieyasu. Qrow placed his hand on Ieyasu as well and recited the same thing he did for Sayo and the same thing happened. Some of his wounds disappeared and he began to glow faintly for a moment. "Now you have some extra time as well until we get you some real treatment."

"Hmm... Curious." said the blonde. "Hey Akame, why don't we bring these four with us back to the hideout?"

"Hmm?"

"We're always shorthanded. And they seem like a capable bunch."

"I don't care what you want from us. If you can help me save Sayo and Ieyasu I will do whatever you want!" Tatsumi said as he got on his hand and knees and bowed.

"Alright! It's settled then!" the blonde said as she went over and picked up Sayo. "Akame, you grab the boy."

"On it."

"Hey Qrow-san, Tatsumi, be sure to keep up." said the blonde.

The group then made their way across the estate grounds where they happened upon another three people. One of which Qrow recognized as the owner of the bookstore.

"So, you're finally back." said a walking suit of armor.

"It'd be bad if we didn't retreat soon." said the bookstore owner as he held up a pocket watch.

"You're late! What were you doing?!" shouted a petite pink haired girl. "Wait, how are those four?" she asked, noticing the newcomers.

"New recruits." answered the blonde.

"What?!" shouted Tatsumi.

"Oh, I didn't tell you? Starting right now you guys are the newest members of Night Raid. Congrats on your inauguration!"

"Alright everyone. Mission complete! Let's return!" shouted Akame as the group disappeared into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- Hello~ thank you all for sticking around for chapter 2. I am pleased with the response I am getting with this story and for that I am grateful to you, the readers and reviewers. Despite the short time since I uploaded chapter 1, I have already taken heed of your reviews and I thank you for the points of advice that some of you have provided. I hope you like how I choose to deal with the unlocking of the Aura aspect of this story so that everyone is not too OP at once. Also, when it comes to Semblances, they take time to be discovered, so most characters won't be learning them right away. I would still like some suggestions for what their Semblances should be, but keep in mind that they need not be OP, they might just be supportive in combat.**

 **Be sure to leave a review.**

 **Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!**

 **(-)**

After about an hour long hike through the woods, the Night Raid group had arrived back at their hidden base. Upon arriving they quickly brought Sayo and Ieyasu to the infirmary for treatment. The group may not have had a doctor among them, but they still had the basic knowledge of medicine in case they had to treat themselves. Qrow seemed to be well versed in the treatment of injuries as well as he had already started Sayo on a blood transfusion using one of the available blood packs before bandaging up her leg. Meanwhile the blonde, who 's name they learned was Leone, had started Ieyasu on an IV drip of antibiotics. The group then began to tend to the more minor wounds that weren't healed by whatever Qrow had done.

Tatsumi looked very concerned throughout the whole endeavor. He felt so useless not being able to do anything to help his friends, just sitting in silent prayer.

"Well, they're out of the woods now. Their continued survival depends on how strong their will to fight is." Qrow said as he looked down at the two unconscious teens.

Tatsumi smiled brightly at the mans revelation, tears of joy streaming from his eyes at the knowledge that his friends would survive. "Thank you Qrow-san, everybody!" Tatsumi said as he bowed to Qrow and the Night Raid group. "I am eternally indebted to you for this. I don't know how I could ever repay you."

"Don't thank us just yet kid. We still don't know if they will pull through. It may be days before they wake up again. They went through a lot." explained Qrow as he pulled out his flask.

"Don't worry. I know them. They are fighters and they will be fine!" said Tatsumi optimistically.

"Well now, if that will be all for the night, I think I'll turn in." Qrow said.

"Yes, that would be a good idea." concurred Leone. "We can save introductions and explanations for tomorrow. Come now, I'll lead you two to your rooms." Leone said as she gestured for Qrow and Tatsumi to follow.

After being led across the massive base, they eventually ended up in the sleeping quarters. Most of the doors that lined the hall had names written on signs that hung from the top of the door. Bulat, Akame, Sheele... just to name a few.

Leone stopped in front of one of the blank doors and offered it to Qrow who went inside while she led Tatsumi to another. Qrow placed his belongings against the wall and examined the room. It was very spartan with little to no furniture save for the bed, a nightstand, and a desk. A small closet was on the far side of the small room and there was a single window. Qrow was used to sleeping conditions like this, in fact he was used to much worse. So he was content with what he had been given. He flopped down on the bed in exhaustion and soon fell asleep.

 **(-)**

Tatsumi woke early the next morning, eager to check on the status of his friends. He rushed across the base back to the infirmary, passing some of the Night Raid members along the way.

"Whoah! Where's the fire?" asked a green haired teen as Tatsumi ran past him.

"Sorry! Got to check on my friends!" he called back.

When Tatsumi arrived at the infirmary, he was surprised to see two people already there. One was Qrow who was holding out a small, mysterious, rectangular device over Sayo and the other was Leone who was observing him.

"So this little thing can actually tell you what their status is?" asked Leone.

"Something like that." answered Qrow. "It is able to scan their bodies and give me a basic diagnostic of their progress. It also allows me to check their Aura levels." he said as he swiped his fingers across the device before moving over to Ieyasu.

"Hmm, interesting. And what did you say it was called?"

"I didn't say."

"Oh, well what is it?"

"A scroll. And no, not like the written, rolled up paper that you're thinking of."

After listening in on the conversation for of minuet, Tatsumi decided to make his presence known and entered the room.

At the sound of footsteps Qrow turned ever so slightly to acknowledge Tatsumi. "Was wondering when you would come in and stop eavesdropping."

"You knew I was here?" asked Tatsumi.

"Anyone with half decent senses would be aware of your presence. You don't really mask it well. But I suppose since we're not in hostile territory it's okay to let your guard down a little, but not too much." explained Qrow.

Leone raised her eyebrows at this. "Impressive. You really know your stuff."

"Comes with the job description." Qrow said offhandedly as he went over Ieyasu's status on his scroll.

"So you are used to this? Just what kind of job did you have before coming here?" asked Tatsumi.

"Hnn, mostly espionage and the like. Some spying and undercover work." Qrow answered. "I'm also a teacher."

Leone and Tatsumi's eyes widened. "You're a teacher?" they asked disbelievingly.

"Not the standard kind that you're thinking of. I taught classes at a combat school that teaches students to fight monsters as well as their fellow man." Qrow said as he closed his scroll and put it away. "Well, your friends are stable for the time being. Their Aura is low, but that is only natural considering how injured tey are. It has to work double time to fix them up."

"You keep saying that word, aura. What do you mean by it?" asked Leone.

"I'll explain it later once we have everyone gathered. I don't like having to repeat myself."

"Hmm, fair enough." said Leone with a shrug of the shoulders. She then turned to Tatsumi. "We'll give you a few moments with your friends before I go to introduce you two to the gang."

"Thanks." Tatsumi replied.

After spending a few minuets with Sayo and Ieyasu in silence, Tatsumi exited the infirmary and found Qrow and Leone leaning up against the wall opposite it.

"Well, time to meet the crew I suppose." Leone said as she started down the hall with a significant sway in her hips. "Come along you two~."

The duo followed Leone through the base until they reached the meeting room where they encountered a busty purple haired woman with glasses that was reading.

"That there is Sheele." said Leone. "Say hello to her."

"Nice to meet you." Tatsumi said with a bow. "I'm Tatsumi."

"And I'm Qrow." spoke said man.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well." Sheele said as she lowered her head slightly. "So, have you two chosen to join Night Raid yet?"

"Not sure." said Qrow.

"I'm a little bit conflicted at the idea as well." said Tatsumi.

"Mind giving them some warm words of encouragement Sheele?" asked Leone.

"Hmm." Sheele hummed as she pursed her lips. "In the first place, you know the location of our hideout. So you will be killed if you don't join us you know."

"Wow, that was so warm I'm starting to sweat." spoke Tatsumi with a deadpanned expression.

"Well, she has me convinced." said Qrow dryly.

"You really should consider joining. I can tell you will be good at the job and it will be nice to have some new faces around here." Sheele said as she returned her focus to the book in her hands.

Tatsumi leaned in to see just what the book was that had her full attention. _'A Hundred Ways to fix Airheadedness? Great, this is a gathering of weirdos ain't it?'_ he thought.

"Hey!" came a piercing scream that drew the groups attention. They turned to see the petite pink haired girl from last night. "Wait a second Leone! What do you think you're doing showing our hideout to these two sketchy people?!"

"Sketchy?" questioned Qrow.

"Well I figured I would show them around since they will be joining us." answered Leone.

"What?! You can't seriously be suggesting we let these two ruffians join us, can you?!" screeched pinky.

"Yeah. I mean, they have the skills so why not?"

"You haven't gotten the bosses permission, have you?!" the pink haired girl then whipped her head around to face Qrow. "Aren't you a little old for this line of work grandpa?"

Qrow's eyebrow twitched as a tic mark appeared on his forehead. "Aren't you a little young for this line of work kiddie?"

"Hmmpf!" the pink haired girl huffed before then facing Tatsumi. She looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze which Tatsumi began to sweat under before speaking again. "Not qualified. It doesn't seem like he'll be able to work with professionals like us. I can tell all that just from looking at his face." she said before storming off.

"What?! Listen here you little-" Tatsumi started after her, but was stopped when Leone grabbed his arm.

"Trust me, it's not worth it. Mine is like that to everyone so don't take it personally. Come on, I'll introduce you to Bulat next." Leone said as she led Tatsumi and Qrow through Night Raid's base. Eventually the trio ended up at the training grounds near the edge of the base. As Leone led them through the training grounds and pointed out the various equipment, they could hear the sound of someone vigorously training. "This area over here is the stress release area. And that over there," Leone said as she pointed to a large shirtless man who was viciously swinging around a massive spear. "the man who looks like he clearly reeks of sweat and testosterone is Bulat."

"Amazing... what ferocious spear handling." gaped Tatsumi as he watched the mans graceful yet devastating movements.

"That's quite the impressive feat." said Qrow.

The man then halted his training and slammed his spear into the ground and grabbed a nearby towel to wipe off his sweat with. "Ah Leone, good to see you." he said in a cheery tone. "And... oh yes, you are the two from the other night."

"Umm, I'm sorry, but we've never met." said Tatsumi.

"He was the walking suit of armor." spoke Qrow.

"What?!" Tatsumi exclaimed before turning to Bulat. "That was you?!"

"Ha ha! Yes, that was me!" he said before addressing Qrow. "Though I am curious, how did you know it was me? This is the first time you're seeing me like this."

"You're body types matched. It was more of an educated guess than anything." answered Qrow. "Nice to meet you, I'm Qrow." he said as he extended his hand which Bulat shook.

"Nice to meet you as well Qrow. And you are?" asked Bulat as he faced Tatsumi.

"Oh! I'm Tatsumi." he said as he held out his hand to shake as well.

"Careful Tatsumi. He's gay." whispered Leone which shocked Tatsumi.

"Hey now." said Bulat with a wave as a blush graced his face. "They'd misunderstand, right?"

' _He didn't deny it!'_ thought Tatsumi.

"That's perfectly fine with me." said Qrow. "But just to let you know, I'm straight."

Tastsumi began to slowly back away from Bulat until he bumped into Leone. "Please get us out of here." he whispered.

"I think I'll introduce you to Lubbock next." Leone said as she began to rub her chin. "Now where would that pervert be?" she then realized the time and immediately knew where to look. "Of course, he would be there."

After a short trek through the woods the trio happened upon a spring that Leone said was her usual bathing spot. She also said that if they ever tried to peep on her she would pound them inside out. Just like she was about to do to the man crouching in the bushes in front of them.

"It's almost Leone's bath time." he said with a perverted grin, completely unaware of the danger behind him. "The danger is totally worth it for the chance to see those amazing tits."

"Hmm, perhaps I should break your arm this time then. Maybe that way you will remember the consequences." Leone said as she stepped on Lubbock's back and grab his arm and began to pull.

"GAAAAAAHHHH!" he howled in pain as he felt his arm begin to pop out of its socket.

"You never seem to learn Lubbock." Leone chastised as she ground her boot into his back.

"Fuck! I can still carry on!" Lubbock exclaimed as he frantically struggled underneath Leone's boot.

"Then I guess I'll just have to break both arms." Leone said darkly as she returned her attention to Qrow and Tatsumi. "This here pervert is Lubbock. Say hello."

"Hello pervert." said Qrow.

"I am not a pervert! I just have a healthy interest in the female body!" he argued.

"So do most perverts." reasoned Qrow.

Leone then suddenly picked Lubbock up by his jacket and chucked him into the water.

Lubbock then emerged from the river, completely soaked and raging. "I will gaze upon those wonderful breasts one day Leone! This I swear!" he shouted as he dragged his soaking form out of the river.

"Alright! The next person you sorta met already, but let's hold a proper introduction. She should be... at the riverbed maybe?" Leone said as she led the group upriver. As they got closer, the scent of grilled something or other filled the air along with some smoke. "Ah see, there's Akame!"

Tatsumi's eyes widened when he saw the massive creature that was roasting over a roaring fire in front of the seated girl. "I-is that an evilbird she's eating?" he asked as he stared at the large danger beast in awe. "Did she kill it all by herself?"

"No, maybe it died of natural causes." joked Qrow.

"Despite how she may look, Akame grew up in the wild." Leone explained as she approached. "Something like this is nothing for her."

"You should eat too Leone." Akame said as she tossed the busty blonde a piece of meat.

"Thanks Akame!" Leone cheered before taking a large bite out of the meat.

"So... have you joined our group yet?" asked Akame as she addressed Tatsumi and Qrow.

"Well, I already did agree to pay you guys back if you helped save my friends. And since you did, I suppose I owe you. So yes, I guess I am joining you guys." said Tatsumi.

"Will you give me food if I say yes?" asked Qrow.

Akame nodded.

"Then yes, I'm joining. I'm also quite hungry, but don't think I'm just saying that to get the food."

Akame then tossed the duo pieces of meat before returning to her own meal.

"Thanks." said Tatsumi as he took a bite out of his piece of meat. His eyes widened at just how delicious the danger beast was. "This is pretty good Akame."

"Yeah, I haven't had something this good in awhile." spoke Qrow.

"Thank you for the compliment." Akame said in monotone.

"Hey Akame, aren't you being a little extravagant today?" asked Leone.

"The boss is back." Akame said as she pointed to the other side of the fire.

Sure enough there was another woman present who had a mechanical right arm.

"Yo!" the woman said as she waved at the group.

"Welcome back boss! Do you have any souvenirs~?" asked Leone as she made her way over to the woman.

"Putting that aside Leone..." the boss started darkly. "In the last mission you had, you went over the operation limit, didn't you?" she asked as she began clenching her mechanical hand.

' _Not good!'_ thought Leone as she instantly turned tail and ran.

The boss aimed her mechanical arm at Leone's shoulder and activated some type of firing sequence. However just as the arm was about to fire, it sputtered for a moment, causing the bosses aim to lower. When the hand fired out, it did not catch Leone by the shoulder and reel her in as the boss had intended. Instead, it caught her by the pants and as it reeled in, it ripped the pants and panties right off of Leone's ass. Leaving her naked butt exposed as Leone fell over and landed with her ass in the air, exposing her womanhood.

Leone, taking a moment to realize what just happened, let out a scream as she stood up and covered her privates. "KYAAA! What was that for boss?!"

"Umm, my apologies. That was not my intention." the boss said as she began to examine her arm. "That's weird. I don't see anything wrong with it. I guess it was just a case of bad luck or something."

"Bad luck that just caused me to flash two guys my pussy!" Leone shouted as she pointed to Tatsumi and Qrow.

Tatsumi had a very bright blush on his face as he looked to the ground while scratching the back of his head, and Qrow was looking away as he took out his flask.

"Speaking of which, who are these two?" asked the boss.

"Ask Akame for the details, I need to get a new pair of pants!" shouted Leone as she ran off into the woods with her hands covering her ass and crotch.

"Hmmpf. You would think that considering what she wears that she would be a little more okay with nudity." said the boss as she took a bite of her meat. "So Akame, who are these two?"

"Promising recruits." answered Akame.

"I see..." responded the boss. "Akame." the boss said as she got up from her seat and threw her jacket over her shoulder. "Gather everyone in the meeting hall. I wish to discuss the details of the last mission, along with anything related to our new recruits."

 **(-)**

"I see..." said the boss as she rubbed her chin. Currently all of the Night Raid members had gathered in the meeting room and had just finished their debrief on the last mission. "I understand the situation completely." spoke the silver haired woman as she turned her eyes to Tatsumi and extended her hand. "Tatsumi, how would you like to join our organization? We won't kill you if you choose to decline, however you will be made to work in our workshop until our mission is complete."

"I... originally planned to come to the capital and make it big in order to save my village which is suffering in poverty." Tatsumi said as he clenched his fists. "But even the capital is rotten to the core..." he said as he sighed and hung his head. "However you guys went out of your way to help save my friends, and for that I am grateful. So I will join you. It is the least I can do." Tatsumi said with resolve.

"That's great to hear!" cheered Bulat with a bright smile. "The countryside is filled with poverty and suffering because the center of the empire is rotting. Now you can uproot the source of the rot yourself. As a man!"

"Bulat was originally a skilled imperial soldier." said the boss. "But when he learned of the empires corruption, he defected and became one of us."

"After all, it is our duty to eliminate those evildoers in the capital. It is much better than working under them." Bulat added.

"Night Raid is the perfect fit for you Tatsumi." the boss said, causing Tatsumi to quirk an eyebrow. "You see, far to the south of the capital lies the hideout of the anti-empire fighting force, the Revolutionary Army."

"The Revolutionary Army?" exclaimed Tatsumi.

"The Revolutionary Army, which started out small, has grown into a large scale organization by now. Then, inevitably, a unit to handle covert jobs such as assassinations and information gathering was formed. That unit would be us. Night Raid. Right now we are exterminating the worms that are festering in the capital. But when the time comes and the Revolutionary army attacks, we will use the chaos and confusion created by it to kill the Prime Minister!" the boss shouted as she clenched her fist. "He is our main target. There are others, but I'll leave them out for now. Although I can't say anything specific about when the Revolutionary Army will rise to action, just know that they have a plan to win when it happens. And when that time comes, we will change this country for the better."

"This new country, it will treat its subjects with kindness and fairness, correct?" asked Tatsumi.

"Of course it will." the boss said with a nod of her head.

"I see..." Tatsumi said as he raised his head. "The killing you are doing is to get rid of the bad guys who are plaguing the capital, so you guys are like assassins of justice right!" he said ecstatically.

The room began to fill with the giggles of the Night Raid assassins.

"What? Did I say something funny?" asked Tatsumi.

Qrow put a hand on Tatsumi's shoulder. "Take a good look around you kid. Everyone here is a murderer. Dress it up as much as you want, killing is still killing. There ain't no justice in that. Anybody here could die at any time as a form of retribution for their crimes. It is only the victors who decide what is right and wrong." Qrow said as he took a sip from his flask. "And we ain't the victors yet."

"He's right." said the boss. "Everyone here has a reason for fighting but they are prepared to face the consequences. Can you say the same? Will you still follow down this path now knowing what awaits you? Can you become the necessary monster that is shunned and hated by those you help? There is no true reward at the end of this path. Just a painful death and an unmarked grave."

"... Will I be payed?" asked Tatsumi.

"Yes. If you work properly you should be able to save your hometown or thereabout." answered the boss.

"Then that's all that matters!" Tatsumi said with conviction. "If anything your words have only hardened my resolve!"

"You might not be able to return to your village ever again." Mine pointed out.

"That's fine with me. As long as everyone in the village can be happy through my actions."

"It's decided then." the boss said as she extended her hand. "Welcome to our hellish path Tatsumi." she then turned her attention to Qrow. "So, what is your story?"

"My story is long and not very interesting, but I suppose I could share some of it." Qrow said as he took another sip from his flask. "I've traveled a long way in order to reach this country. Prior to my travels I worked as a teacher at a combat school as well as an undercover agent. So I am well versed in combat and espionage."

"Interesting. Now, my friends here tell me that you used some kind of power to save the lives of the two teens we now have in the infirmary. Would you mind explaining how you did that?" asked the boss.

"Well, I just happened to unlock their Aura." answered Qrow plainly.

"Okay. And just what is this Aura?"

It was a good thing that Qrow wast a fast thinker and was able to tell the truth without telling the truth. Mainly keeping the whole alternate world thing a secret. At the very least they would just assume he was from far away. "Where I come from, people have developed a new way of fighting utilizing the power of the soul. And Aura is the manifestation of the soul. It is an ability that all those with a soul can use, at least with enough practice. It allows one to become stronger and faster, as well as produce a protective barrier around the user to shield them from harm so long as it holds out. It is also capable of healing some wounds. By your standards I believe that you would describe an Aura user as a 'super soldier'."

"Incredible... And you come from a place where all can use this?" asked the boss.

"Provided they have it unlocked, which is a somewhat simple matter. It is what I did for Tatsumi's friends in order to save their lives." answered Qrow.

"So you just made them into super soldiers? Just like that?" asked Leone as she snapped her fingers.

"Essentially. It will take some training for them to fully master it, but even a novice will have the basic abilities at their disposal."

"And by basic abilities you mean the strength, speed, barrier, and healing?" asked Bulat.

"Correct. For example, if you were to punch me right now, I may be knocked back as a result, but my Aura would prevent me from taking damage. It will even protect you from blades and bullets."

Now that got everyone's attention. An ability that would make them stronger, faster, and protect them from all kinds of attacks? That made Qrow the most dangerous person in the room.

"And that's not even taking into account Semblances." Qrow added.

"Semblances?" questioned the boss.

"A Semblance is Aura given a more tangible form. It is the manifestation of one's innate and personal power as an ability unique to each individual, with the effects varying greatly from user to user and can take time to discover. The nature of one's Semblance is noted as representing an aspect of their character. However, a person's Semblance can be similar to the Semblances of their parents or other family members." Qrow explained. "An example of a Semblance might be my nieces. One has a Semblance that causes her to deal increased damage as she receives damage and the other can move extremely fast. My boss can manipulate time and his assistant can manipulate objects from a distance."

"What about yours?" asked Tatsumi.

"Mine is a bit unfortunate." Qrow said somberly. "I don't have the luxury of being able to control it. I am essentially a bad luck magnet. The bad luck doesn't affect me, but those around me and completely indiscriminate. Great for dealing with enemies. Not so much when dealing with friends. Leone here was already a victim of it today." Qrow said as he pointed at the woman in question.

It took her a moment to put two and two together before she blushed. "You mean that was-!"

"Not my intention." Qrow interrupted. "I have no control over it."

"I see. So, what brings you to this country?" asked the boss.

"Well, I am currently searching for something. Something that you might be able to help me find. I'm looking for a particular teigu known as, Skeleton Key: Reserare." answered Qrow as he leveled his eyes with the boss.

The boss narrowed her eyes at Qrow. "From what we know, that particular teigu is still missing. It will take some time and effort to find. Two things we can't really afford to spare right now."

"I figured as much. Which is why I came up with a compromise. I will agree to join your little organization and help you out, provided that you help me to search for the key when this mess is all over."

"You aren't concerned about whether or not you will survive long enough to see our end of the deal held up?" asked the boss.

"Oh, knowing my luck I will certainly survive. Besides, I'm much tougher than I look."

"Very well then. I welcome you to our ranks as well Qrow." spoke the boss. "Now, I have to ask, can you unlock this Aura for the rest of us?"

Qrow narrowed his eyes. "Whether I can and will are two entirely different things."

"How so?"

"You see, I'm not just going to go and unlock all of your Aura just like that." Qrow said with a snap of the fingers. "The only reason I was so willing to unlock Sayo and Ieyasu's was because it was necessary to save their lives. Until I get to know you guys better, I feel it is better that I keep to myself in that regard."

"What?!" shouted Mine. "You mean you could give us an incredible advantage but won't because you don't trust us?!"

The boss raised her hand to silence Mine's qualms. "It is perfectly understandable. You are giving us a power that no one else around here has. That could be quite dangerous. Especially should the knowledge of it fall into enemy hands."

"Exactly." responded Qrow. "But don't worry. When the time is right, I will unlock your Aura."

"And if one of us dies before then?" asked Mine with her arms crossed.

"Then that will be another burden for me to bear." answered Qrow.

Suddenly a loud grinding sound was heard coming from Lubbock. The source was the device on top of his gloves. "Najenda-san! We got incoming intruders!" the green haired teen shouted.

The boss sighed in annoyance. "How many are there?" she asked as she rested her head on her hand.

"According to my barrier wires, at least nine people!" answered Lubbock hastily. "They've all gotten really close to our hideout!"

Najenda took out a pack of cigarettes and pooped one into her mouth. "They're good. To sniff out our secret base must mean that they are mercenaries of one of the tribal groups." she said as she pulled out a lighter and lit up her cigarette. "They leave us no choice. This is an emergency sortie. Don't let any of them leave alive." At her words the entire room's atmosphere changed and was filled with killing intent. "GO!" she ordered, signaling for the group of assassins to begin their assault.

"H-huh!" Tatsumi stuttered out as he dumbly watched the Night Raid assassins along with Qrow disperse.

"Oi! What are you spacing out for kid?!" shouted Najenda as she smacked Tatsumi upside the head. "It's time for your first real battle. Now get out there! Prove to me that you have what it takes to join Night Raid!"

"Right!" Tatsumi yelled as he took off after the assassins. _'Time to show them what I'm made of!'_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- Chapter 3 hooray! I am liking all the feedback i am getting from you guys about this story and that helps to keep me going. In the last chapter one of you was curious as to the whole 'Leone incident' and was wondering if that meant anything. I won't say too much about that, but I felt that it was a prime opportunity for Qrow's Semblance to manifest in an amusing way. To the reviewer that is worried Qrow is being too open about Semblances, my theory is that Qrow is in an unknown land and is in desperate need of allies. The only barter chip he has for getting and securing and alliance and continued support of them, would be to entice them with what he could offer them.**

 **Other than that I thank you all for your support. I hope you like this chapter.**

 **Also, one of you have given me a good idea for a Semblance which I will be using. The Semblance I will be using will be a secret for now until the character discovers it.**

 **Be sure to leave a review. Especially Semblance suggestions.**

 **Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!**

 **(-)**

"Bulat-san!" Tatsumi called out as he sprinted to catch up with the large man. "Wait up!"

"Huh?!" Bulat exclaimed as he turned to see Tatsumi following him, surprised by the fact. "Oh Tatsumi! Do you wish to join me?"

"Yes!" Tatsumi shouted having finally caught up with Bulat. "This is my chance to prove my worth to everyone. So please, allow me to join you!"

"That's the spirit Tatsumi!" Bulat said with a massive grin. "Also, call me aniki or handsome!"

"Okay aniki! Man, it actually feels good to say that!" Tatsumi cheered at Bulat's new nickname.

"Feels good to be called it as well!" said Bulat as the duo continued to rush through the forest before abruptly stopping. "Here, I'll show you something cool as a reward! Take a few steps back." Bulat instructed and Tatsumi did as he was told. Bulat then touched his hand to the ground and shouted. "INCURSIOOOOO!"

Tatsumi watched in awe with wide eyes as a set of armor began to form around Bulat's body. It was the same set of armor that Bulat had worn when Tatsumi first encountered him. "Whoah! That's fucking awesome!"

"I know right?" Bulat said as he jabbed a thumb at his chest. "This is the teigu Incursio."

"Teigu?" Tatsumi exclaimed. "Hey, Qrow mentioned that word before as well. Just what does it mean?"

"Another time Tatsumi, right now we have a job to do. Now I will tell you your first job. It's important, alright?"

"R-right!"

"You think you can handle it?" asked Bulat.

"Hell yeah! I'm ready for anything!" Tatsumi said as he pumped his fist upward.

 **With Qrow...**

Qrow was currently patrolling with Leone through the woods looking for the tribal mercenaries that had infiltrated the area. He also took note of how the woman was keeping her distance from him. The reason for that being his Semblance. Leone wasn't too keen on having a repeat of earlier and was still embarrassed about the whole thing.

"You should be safe at that distance." spoke Qrow.

"I ain't taking any chances." responded Leone as the two of them continued through the woods. They eventually happened upon a clearing where they ran into two tribal mercenaries. Both of them were rather large men armed with greatswords.

"Ah, looks like we got lucky boss. This really is the Night Raid base." said one of the mercs.

"Yeah. And look, we got a welcoming party." said the boss as he leered at Leone, licking his lips as he took in her curves. "The guy can die. But try not to rough up the woman too much."

"Sorry boys. But despite my appearance, I'm not such an easy lay." said Leone as her form began to change. Her hair grew longer, ears sprouted from the top of her head as well as a tail from her lower back, and her hands became claws. "Who do you want?" Leone asked Qrow.

Qrow brought out his flask and unscrewed the top. "Let me have the boss. Consider it my initiation for joining the gang." Qrow said as he took a swig from his flask.

"You sure this is the best time to be drinking? Right before a fight?" asked Leone as she took a stance and began to strafe around to the side of the mercenaries.

"Heh, I'm always drunk. It hasn't affected my performance regardless of what I'm doing. At least that's what the ladies tell me." Qrow joked as he put his flask away. "But if you must nitpick, call it a handicap. If I can't handle someone of this level, then I suppose I'm not cut out for this line of work eh?"

"Hmph! You're awfully presumptuous little man." huffed the boss. "So you are a new recruit for these assassins? You don't stand a chance against me."

Qrow drew his blade and let it lazily hang at his side as he slowly approached the large mercenary. He then raised his free hand and beckoned for the boss to come over.

"Rargh!" roared the boss as he charged Qrow. He lashed out with a flurry of slashes which Qrow deftly dodged with more than enough room to spare. "Hold still!" shouted the man as he brought his sword overhead and swung down, intent on cutting Qrow in half.

Qrow sidestepped the attack and plunged his blade straight through the mans chest and out the other side.

"Kuh!" the mercenary grunted as he coughed up blood. He weakly tried to raise his blade again in a last ditch attempt to at the very least take Qrow with him, but Qrow stepped on the blade and kept it pinned in the ground.

"Sorry, but this is the end for you. Nothing personal." Qrow said as he gripped his sword and swung the blade upward, cutting the man in half. He jumped away as a shower of blood spurted out of the now dead mans body and reattached his sword to his back.

Qrow then heard a whistle and looked over to see Leone sitting on top of a mutilated mercenary corpse whilst clapping. "Impressive. No hesitation, no wasted movements... you're good."

Qrow gave a slight bow. "You honor me with your words of praise. I must say that you were quite impressive as well. I take it that that form you have taken on is a teigu?"

"You got that right!" Leone said with a thumbs up as she flashed Qrow a toothy grin. "It's this belt. It's called Lionel." she said as she pointed to her belt. "It allows me to take on a beast-like form, gives me a boost to my strength and speed, allows me to regenerate, and even gives me animal-like senses." she explained.

"I see." Qrow said as he looked over her form. It reminded him of the faunus back home. It was then that a loud bang was heard in the distance. "What was that?" asked Qrow as he reached for his sword.

"Relax." Leone waved. "That was Mine's Pumpkin."

"I take it you don't mean the vegetable."

"Nope. Her teigu is a rifle named Pumpkin. Strange name, I know." Leone said as she let out a sigh. "It's such a bothersome teigu. My teigu is much simpler."

"How so?" asked Qrow.

"Well, the more of a pinch she's in the more powerful her weapon becomes." explained Leone.

"Hmm, reminds me of my niece."

"Oh yeah, you said one of them had a Semblance that increases her damage output as she takes damage."

"Yep. That would be the one. You actually remind me of her a little, at least appearance wise. Mainly when you're in your beast form. She has long blonde hair as well and is also a fight junkie. So to speak." responded Qrow.

"Oh, well then I'm sure we would get along just nicely." Leone said with a smile as she made her way over to Qrow. "Well, since we took care of our assigned targets we might as well head back to base. The rest of the gang should be finishing up as well."

"Agreed."

 **With Tatsumi...**

' _This is complete bullshit. How am I supposed to prove myself if I'm on guard duty? I should be out there fighting the enemy.'_ Tatsumi thought as he lay hidden in the bushes that Bulat had pointed out.

" _Listen; if the enemy were to run away then there is a large possibility that they may come through here. If that happens, even slowing them down is okay. Just do whatever it takes to fight back and show no mercy."_

Tatsumi remembered what Bulat had said to him earlier as he lay in wait. _'They aren't taking me seriously.'_ Tatsumi's eyes widened when he heard a rustling in the bushes and readied himself for combat, but immediately deflated when he saw that it was just a rabbit that hopped out. _'Gonna kill that rabbit for getting me hyped up.'_

"What a total newbie role. Is the enemy even going to come this-" before Tatsumi could even finish his sentence, a large tribal wrrior came bursting out of the foliage and came to a skidding halt when he noticed Tatsumi.

"Hah! So they have guards stationed out here as well." spoke the mercenary as he drew his blade.

Tatsumi got up and drew his own sword as well. "I can not let you pass!" Tatsumi shouted to the man.

The man grinned wickedly in response. "Feel free to try and stop me."

' _Here it is. I have to kill someone I have no resentment against.'_ Tatsumi thought as he leveled his blade. _'But if I hesitate here, I'll die.'_

"Even though you are just a boy, don't expect me to hold back."

The two enemies stared each other down, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Tatsumi ended up being the one to take initiative and decided to strike first. He lunged forward, his grip on his sword tightening. Once Tatsumi got close enough, the mercenary swung his blade. Tatsumi easily parried the swing and proceeded to slash the tribesman across the chest. He fell backwards and landed on the ground, blood profusely spurting out of the gash across his chest as he roared in pain.

"How was that you bastard? These are the skills... that I refined alongside Sayo and Ieyasu!" shouted Tatsumi.

"Please... have mercy... my village-" the mercenary's words were cut off when Tatsumi plunged his blade into his neck.

"No mercy." Tatsumi said coldly as he removed his sword from the mans jugular. "I can't afford to hesitate. Not when everyone is counting on me. I swore I would do my best."

Tatsumi then turned when he heard someone land behind him. He spun around with sword drawn, but relaxed when he saw it was Akame. "Impressive. I'm glad to see you are still in one piece." she spoke in monotone.

"I wasn't going to let this piece of trash take me down." Tatsumi said as he gestured to the dead body. "I have people waiting for me to return alive."

"Well, you did good. To not fall for the enemies ploy show's that you truly have what it takes. This is not a line of work where mercy can be afforded." explained Akame.

"I know." Tatsumi said as he sheathed his sword. "That is all the difference it makes between life and death."

"Correct. You must not hesitate in the slightest. The final blow has to be swift and decisive." Akame said as she briefly gazed at the dead mercenary.

"HIYA!" Akame and Tatsumi turned to see Bulat burst through the trees next to them. "The enemy came running over here right?! Leave them to me!"

"It's already over." spoke Akame as she pointed her blade at the dead body.

"Oh. Good work Akame." said Bulat.

"Wasn't me." she said as she pointed to Tatsumi.

"Really?" Bulat asked in a slightly surprised tone to which Akame nodded in affirmation. "Well then, good job Tatsumi!" Bulat said with a thumbs up. "Now that the enemy has been taken care of it is time to return to the base."

 **(-)**

Back at the Night Raid base the group was holding a celebration for a job well done of defending their base. Much revelry was had and somehow a drinking contest had started between Bulat, Leone, and Qrow. It was a recipe for disaster. Leone had instigated the whole thing after claiming that she was the heaviest drinker among them, Qrow begged to differ and challenged her, and Bulat wanted to join in on the premise of it being a fun way to bond with comrades.

It was not much of a surprise that Bulat was the first to drop out considering how heavy of drinkers Qrow and Leone were. The rest of Night Raid watched in attention as the duo went shot for shot and still remained conscious. To them, it was quite impressive that Qrow could keep up with Leone as she had a bit of an unfair advantage. Her teigu allowed her to process toxins at a faster rate which meant that she would take longer to get drunk.

Seeing as how the contest wouldn't be ending anytime soon, Najenda decided to have a word with Tatsumi while Qrow and Leone continued to go at it. "I must say that I am impressed Tatsumi. You really showed your worth in your first battle according to Akame."

Tatsumi scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly at the bosses praise. "Thanks boss. It was nothing."

"On the contrary it was most certainly something. Akame half expected you to fall for the enemies words and would need to be saved by her. But you proved otherwise." Najenda then pulled out a cigarrette and lit it. "That being said, you are still a little rough around the edges, and it will take some work to polish your skills to the best they can be. So I will have you start training with Akame tomorrow." the silver haired woman said as she took a drag of her cigarette. "Is that acceptable with you Akame?"

Akame, who looked a bit to engrossed with her own meal, turned and nodded to the boss. "Mhmm." she mumbled as she chewed her food.

"Good. If Tatsumi happens to slack off then you have my permission to kill him." Najenda said, which caused Tatsumi's eyes to shoot open.

"What?!"

"Sure thing." responded Akame.

"Just like that?!" shouted Tatsumi. _'She didn't even hesitate in her response! Wha the hell is she thinking?!'_ Tatsumi thought as a chill ran up his spine.

"Aren't you lucky Tatsumi? Being able to be trained by such a cute girl." teased Najenda. "Good luck and try not to get killed."

"WHOOO! I WIN!" came Leone's loud voice. The group looked over and saw her standing on the table, completely shitfaced drunk, cheering at the top of her lungs whilst Qrow currently had his head leaning on the table. "I am the greatest! No one can best me!" she proclaimed loudly for all to hear. "What do ya say to that Qrow?!" she asked as she leaned over to the seemingly unconscious man.

"..." came a muffled sound.

"Wha? You're still awake? Impossible."

"I said; I guess it's time to bring out the big guns..." Qrow said as he staggered to his feet and stood up. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a flask. However this flask was different from the normal one he drank from as it had a large skull and cross-bones on the side. "This is the strongest stuff around where I come from. If you can handle this, then I will admit defeat." Qrow explained as he unscrewed the top. The man took a single sip from the container and his face twisted and contorted something fierce. "Arghhhh! That's strong!" he as he let out a long breath. "Your turn." he said to Leone as he offered her the flask.

"Hmph, a last ditch effort to try and save face eh? Sorry, but I'm afraid I'm going to win this contest." Leone said cockily as she grabbed the flask. "Here goes nothing." she said as she took a sip from the flask. Seconds passed and nothing happened. "Heh." she chuckled with a grin. "I guess I wi-" Leone then suddenly passed out and flopped down on the table, Qrow catching his flask before it could spill.

"And victory is mine!" roared Qrow as he raised his fist skyward before abruptly collapsing as well.

"I-impossible..." uttered Lubbock. "He beat Leone at a drinking contest."

"Hmm. Well, I suppose that signifies the end of the festivities." said Najenda. "Now let's help these drunks back to their rooms and get some sleep. We got work to do tomorrow."

 **(-)**

Qrow awoke with a splitting headache, more so than usual. The light peeking in from the window burning his closed eyes like hell itself. It became obvious rather quickly to him that he had taken a sip from _that_. Even though the majority of last night was blurry, he still remembered a vague contest that he had one. "Heh, totally worth it." Qrow said as he reached for his flask. More of the hair of the dog that bit him and such.

The professional Hunstman staggered his way out of his room and into the hallway where he found Leone grasping her head in pain. The two of them locked eyes and Leone scowled slightly. "Damn, what the hell did you give me? Haven't been this hungover in a while."

"Hnn, that would be my special stash. Feel honored that I allowed you even a sip. It's expensive." Qrow said as the duo made their way down the hall.

"Well you're not wrong. It was good stuff."

"And it was totally worth it to beat you." snickered Qrow.

"Tch, whatever." grumbled Leone.

The two arrived in the dining room where everyone else was already gathered and eating.

"Well, look who finally decided to join us." said Mine.

"I must say, last night was quite eventful. My only regret is that I couldn't keep up with you two in the contest." spoke Bulat.

"Trust me, it wouldn't be worth it." spoke Leone as she held her head.

"Are you... hungover?" asked Lubbock.

"Yep. Thanks to this guys poison." Leone said as she pointed to Qrow.

Said man shrugged with a grin. "Not everyone can handle the beast."

"I seem to recall you passing out as well." Sheele pointed out.

"Yeah, but I still lasted longer than Leone."

"Okay! That's enough about last night." said the busty blonde who was still sour over losing. "Time for some grub." Leone said as she took a seat at the table along with Qrow.

After a nice meal courtesy of Akame and Tatsumi, the majority of the Night raid group left to take care of an assassination request in the capital. Akame and Tatsumi themselves left to hunt food for dinner whilst Qrow decided to check up on Sayo and Ieyasu.

When he got to the infirmary he took out his scroll and scanned their bodies again to see how they were progressing. As he was doing this, much to his surprise, Ieyasu began to stir.

"Urgh... what happened." the teen said as he grasped his head in pain and sat up.

"Whoah there." Qrow said as he placed his hand on Ieyasu's shoulder and lowered him back down on to the bed. "Stay still, it's been a while since you fell unconscious and you'll get dizzy."

"Argh!" Ieyasu yelped as he grasped his head in pain. "You're right. The room's spinning."

"Just stay like that for a while and let your body re-orientate itself." Qrow instructed. "Now tell me, what do you remember?"

"I... remember that house... and the torture chamber. The family did awful things to us..." A flash of worry worked its way across Ieyasu's face. "Sayo! Is she..."

Qrow pointed across from Ieyasu and his eyes followed to see Sayo's sleeping form. "She's unconscious for now, but her odds of pulling through look promising."

"Oh thank god..." Ieyasu breathed out.

"Now concentrate, what else do you remember?"

"Tatsumi... he and some lady came and rescued us... you were there too."

"Good, you don't seem to have any memory problems as a result of the trauma." Qrow said with a smile.

"What did you do...? You did something to me and Sayo. Something that saved our lives."

"I'll explain later. Right now I have to go get someone. You stay put and don't move." Qrow instructed as he left the room. A short while later he returned with Najenda.

"Hello there." Najenda greeted with a wave.

"... Hello." came Ieyasu's response.

"Do you know who I am?"

"No."

"My name is Najenda. And I am the leader of the assassin group Night Raid whose base you are currently at. We are also the ones who saved you and your friends life alongside Qrow here." explained the boss.

"Night Raid... assassins? I remember seeing your wanted posters in the capital." said Ieyasu. "You're criminals?"

"Criminals is just a relative term kid." said Qrow as he took out his flask. "We prefer Revolutionaries. Doesn't sound quite as bad."

"Despite what Qrow says, yes, we are indeed criminals who are wanted by the capital. But it is not like we go out to kill innocents. Everyone that we kill is a source of corruption. Like the family that had tortured you and your friend." explained Najenda.

"So what, you are the good guys?" asked Ieyasu.

"Sort of. Everyone of our members is a murderer, plain and simple. But we are fighting for the betterment of the country. We kill the rot that is festering in the capital. Everyone from corrupt officials to sadistic nobles."

"Ohh, I see."

"Now then, you have two choices kid." said Najenda as she held up two fingers. "You can either join us, or you will be made to work in our workshop until all this is over. We can't let you go free since you know where our base is as well as our faces. Just so you know, your friend Tatsumi was given the same choice, and he chose to join us."

"He did?!"

"Once he realized how corrupt the capital truly was, he couldn't stand by and let it continue. It is the governments fault that your village is suffering you know." said Qrow.

"So kid, what will it be?" asked Najenda. "This path is dangerous and without reward. You could die at any time and never be remembered for the good you did. You might never be able to return to you village again. Choosing this path is not for the faint of heart and-"

"I'll do it."

"Hmm?" uttered Najenda with wide eyes.

"I said I'll do it. I can't leave my best bud to fight on his own. If he joined up then he must have had a good reason for joining. And that is a good enough reason for me to join as well." Ieyasu said with conviction.

"Ho, impressive. I thought it might take some more convincing, but it seems that you share Tatsumi's ideals." spoke Najenda.

"We swore that when we die we die together. I fully trust his judgement and will gladly follow him down this path."

"Well then, welcome to Night Raid." said Najenda as she held out her hand. "The majority of our members are currently out on a mission so we will have to wait for introductions until later. So for now you should just get some rest. And I'm sure Qrow has some stuff he would like to teach you." Najenda said as she got up to leave.

"Well then." started Qrow. "Time for me to tell you about Aura."

 **(-)**

Several hours later and some the Night Raid gang had fully assembled. Leone returned from her mission, but Mine, Sheele, Bulat, and Lubbock were still out. Tatsumi had returned from his hunt with Akame and upon learning of Ieyasu's awakening, had made a bee-line for the infirmary.

"So, you're telling me that I'm some kind of super soldier?" came Ieyasu's voice from the infirmary.

"Ieyasu!" shouted Tatsumi as he barged into the infirmary.

Qrow and Ieyasu turned to face Tatsumi.

"Tatsumi!" his friend shouted in joy.

"You're awake!"

"And alive!" Ieyasu said as he flashed Tatsumi a toothy grin.

"It's great to see you all better!" Tatsumi said as he fist bumped his friend.

"True that. I still can't believe I survived that hellhole." said Ieyasu somewhat downtrodden.

"Cheer up kid." Qrow said as he gave him a pat on the back. "All of that's behind you now. It's time for you to look to the future."

"You're right. It's time for me to make a difference!" Ieyasu shouted with clenched fists. "Tatsumi, I'm joining Night Raid."

"What?! Really?!"

"Sure, I mean, you joined. So that seems like a good enough reason for me to join as well."

"Ieyasu, I don't want you to join out of some sense of camaraderie. If you are going to join it should be on your own terms." said Tatsumi.

"But I am joining on my own terms. Sure part of it is because you joined, but I also want to prevent the things that happened to me and Sayo from happening to anyone else." explained Ieyasu.

"Well said kid." spoke Qrow. "I'll leave you two alone to catch up. Be sure to join us in the dining room for dinner when you are done."

"Got it." answered Tatsumi.

After the duo caught up with each other and spent some time praying for Sayo to wake soon, they then headed to the dining room where Akame was just then placing food on the table. The currently gathered members of the Night Raid gang were assembled at the table and introductions were made for Ieyasu. After getting to know everyone present, the group then began to dig in.

The dinner consisted of the tuna that Akame and Tatsumi had caught earlier that day. "In the end Tatsumi only caught two." said the boss. "For his first time he did pretty well all things considered."

"Is it true that you yelled 'bring it on!' as you were undressing?" asked Leone teasingly.

Tatsumi slumped in his chair, his face bright red with embarrassment as Ieyasu began to guffaw at his friends antics.

"So Akame, how was Tatsumi's first day of training with you?" asked Najenda.

"He needs work..." answered Akame between bites.

' _Shit. She doesn't think much of me at all.'_ thought Tatsumi. _'And I can never tell what she's thinking either. I'm still too weak!'_

"But... he shows great promise." said Akame in monotone praise.

' _Really?! I do?!'_ thought Tatsumi in surprise.

"Hmm, that's good to hear." said Najenda before turning her attention to Leone and placing her chopsticks down. "Leone, tell me about the request you received the other day."

Leone suddenly turned serious. "Yes boss. Our targets are Ogre of the capital guards and an oil merchant named Gamal." Leone explained as she clasped her hands together on the table. "According to the client; Ogre has been accepting bribes from Gamal. Apparently, every time Gamal commits a crime, Ogre has someone else take the fall for him. The clients fiance was framed for one of the crimes and was put to death."

Qrow's fist unconsciously clenched in silent rage.

"While the fiance was in prison, he heard the two discussing their crimes and managed to send out a letter to our client so that she would know what happened to him." Leone then pulled out a sack of coins and placed it on the table. "This is the payment for the job."

"That person saved up this much money?" Tatsumi gaped.

"I could smell venereal diseases on her." Leone said in a dark tone with fists clenched. "She must have been forced to sell her body to anyone willing to pay in order to save up the money."

"That's... horrible." said Ieyasu.

"That's the way it works in this rotten capital." spoke Qrow as he took out his flask and drank from it. "I'm gonna need more alcohol by the time this is over."

"... Have you confirmed the clients claims?" asked Najenda as she lit up a cigarette.

"They're guilty." answered Leone. "I observed them for a time from the attic of the merchants shop where the two of them discussed their dirty dealings."

"Very well." Najenda said as she took a drag of her cigarette. "Night Raid will accept this request. We will deliver punishment upon the heads of these heinous monsters. And send them to the hereafter."

"Taking out Gamal will be simple." said Leone. "But Ogre will be a different matter entirely."

"How so?" asked Tatsumi.

"Ogre the Demon. That is his moniker. He is called 'The Demon' because his skills with a sword make him an object of terror to the criminals of the capital." explained Leone. "He is usually seen with his merry band of lackeys as he patrols the city streets. But other than that he hangs out at the garrison HQ. Gamal comes to his private room to give him bribes. Due to his station, on his days off he spends time near the palace drinking at bars on main street."

"Looks like our only shot is on his days off." said Tatsumi.

"But the security around the palace is tight. For Akame, who's face is plastered all around the palace, this will be a tough mission." said Najenda

"Shall we wait for the rest ofthe group to return?" suggested Akame.

"But we don't know when they will finish their job." Leone pointed out as she leaned back in her seat.

"If that's the case, then just send us!" Tatsumi said as he slammed his palm on the table. "We can take care of it! Me and Qrow!"

"Although I'm impartial to being volunteered without my consent, the kid's right. We can handle him." said Qrow.

"Hmm, Tatsumi on his own I might be worried about... but with Qrow as backup you should be fine." spoke Najenda. "Very well. I shall leave Ogre to the two of you. Akame, Leone, I'll leave Gamal to you two."

"You got it boss!" cheered Leone.

"How about that Akame?! When it's time, I can step up to the challenge!" said Tatsumi.

"... Where does this self confidence come from? You haven't had a successful mission until you've given your report." Akame said as she turned away from Tatsumi. "As you are now, so full of yourself, you'll end up dead."

"Wha!" Tatsumi's would be rant was cut off short when Qrow grabbed his shoulder.

"She's right you know. Don't get ahead of yourself or you'll just end up dead. No army that has fought with an overly optimistic outlook has ever lasted very long." spoke Qrow sagely.

"Damn it." muttered Tatsumi. _'I'm definitely going to succeed and make you see me in a different light.'_

 **(-)**

The next night Leone led Tatsumi and Qrow through the capital towards main street. "If you go straight that way it should lead you straight to main street." said Leone as she pointed down the street.

"Gotit!" said Tatsumi.

"Hey Tatsumi. You wanna hear a story about Akame?"

"Huh?"

"When Akame was young both she and her sister were bought somewhere in the Empire. Poor parents selling their kids is quite a common albeit sad story." explained Leone.

Tatsumi's face turned sad at learning such a fact and Qrow looked impassive, but one could tell he still felt bad for the girl even if he didn't show it.

"She then got accepted into a training program for assassins along with other kids that were in the same boat as her. There, she learned how to kill people and somehow survived the hellish conditions." spoke Leone. "She worked under the empire, following their every order. She was the perfect assassin. But with every mission she carried out, she could feel more of the darkness within the empire. The boss, who was her target at the time, succeeded in persuading her to defect from the empire and join the Revolutionary Army who cared about the people... By that time it seemed that most of the comrades she had trained and grew up with were already dead." said Leone somberly. "Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" asked Leone.

Tatsumi huffed with his hands on his hips. "As an amateur I should I should shut up and listen to the professional killer, right?"

Leone smiled gently and let out a slight sigh. "Well, you'll understand if you are successful today."

"Yeah! I'm definitely going to do this!" shouted Tatsumi as he made his way down the street with Qrow.

"Good hunting!" Leone said as she gave a thumbs up.

"I'll make sure to keep him alive." called Qrow.

As the duop stalked the streets in search of their target, Qrow pulled Tatsumi aside into an alleyway. "You remember the plan right?"

"Yeah. I approach Ogre and lead him away from the streets. Once I have him out of sight I kill him." answered Tatsumi.

"Remember, don't hesitate and make sure the opponent is dead before you celebrate, alright?"

"Got it." Tatsumi nodded.

"Good. I'll be watching you and jump in in case anything goes wrong."

Where will you be watching from?" asked Tatsumi.

Qrow looked up to the roofs. "Above." and with that Tatsumi decided to leave. "One last thing kid." Tatsumi turned around to see Qrow place his palm on his head. "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of glory and virtue to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee."

Tatsumi recognized the chant and as Qrow finished he felt a surge of power unlike anything he had ever experienced before. He looked to his hands that were slightly glowing as the light began to recede. "Why?"

"A little insurance." answered Qrow. "Now get going."

Tatsumi left the alleyway and Qrow was then alone. Once he was sure no one was looking, his form changed into that of a crows and he took off into the sky.

Meanwhile Tatsumi had found his mark. Ogre had just left a bar and finished talking with some people so now was the time to strike. "Uhmm... Ogre-sama?" Tatsumi called out.

"Hnn?" the man grunted as he turned to face Tatsumi. "What is it?"

"I have something I would like to speak with you about."

"What? Spit it out then." Ogre grumbled.

"Talking about it in the open like this would be a little problematic. Perhaps we can hold this discussion in this alleyway?" Tatsumi suggested as he gestured to a nearby alley.

"Hnn, fine. But make it quick. This is my day off and I have places to be." Ogre said as he followed Tatsumi. "This should be fine right?" _'I don't sense any danger coming from this kid.'_ Ogre thought as he stared at Tatsumi.

"Yes, this will do just fine." Tatsumi then turned to face Ogre. "I beg of you! Please let me into the capital's defense force!" he said as he bowed on his hands and knees.

If Ogre was taken aback by the sudden proclamation he didn't let it show. "What?"

"I must earn enough money to send back to my home village in the country sir!" sobbed Tatsumi.

"Haaahhhh." sighed Ogre. "I thought it might be something like this." he muttered as he scratched the back of his head. "Then apply through the normal process idiot!" he said as he waved Tatsumi off and turned to leave.

"But that takes forever!"

"I don't care!" shouted Ogre, his back still to Tatsumi. "It isn't my job to judge wannabe soldiers so just-" Ogre was cut off by the two and a half feet of steel that was currently plunged through his chest. "Wha..." he uttered before Tatsumi pulled the blade out.

' _Don't hesitate. Ensure the target is dead.'_ he thought as he brought the blade around and decapitated Ogre, his eyes still opened wide in shock. The body fell to the ground as blood spurted out of the neck, making a complete mess of the alley. But not a drop landed on Tatsumi as he was already gone.

As Tatsumi walked the streets he was approached by Qrow. "Good job back there. I was worried I might have to help you out for a minuet, but it seems you had everything under control"

Tatsumi puffed out his chest with pride. "You got that right. Though I must thank you for your words of advice. They really helped me to follow through."

"Good. Now let's head back. The others should already be done with their target by now." Qrow spoke as he and Tatsumi made their way out of the city.

 **(-)**

Back at the Night Raid base the small group of assassins was gathered in the meeting room.

"Good job on dealing with the target!" praised Najenda.

"Thanks! It was nothing!" boasted Tatsumi.

"Yeah, kid did pretty good." added Qrow.

"You did great buddy!" Ieyasu said as he patted Tatsumi on the back.

"Not bad, huh Akame?" Tatsumi said with a smirk as he turned to face the red eyed assassin. "I've done my job, given my report, and done it all without getting hurt. Pretty impressive right?" Tatsumi said as his ego grew bigger.

"Tone it back a bit kid. All you did was kill a man. Nothing to be proud about." spoke Qrow.

"But he was a asshole who had it coming! I ain't going to lose any sleep over his death." explained Tatsumi. "Now where was I? Oh yeah, not a scratch on me! That must be some kind of record." Tatsumi said as Akame approached him. "Now you'll have to acknowledge me-"

He wascut off when Akame suddenly grabbed his shirt and lifted it over-head, exposing his chest.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Tatsumi screeched.

"Leone, boss, hold him." said Akame stoically.

"Understood." said Najenda as she grabbed Tatsumi's right arm.

"Oh, this seems like fun~!" said Leone as she grabbed Tatsumi's left arm.

Meanwhile Qrow looked on dumbfounded by the turn of events. "Is this some kind of hazing?" he asked.

"What's going on?!" shouted Tatsumi. "You can't possibly be wanting to have..." he trailed off as a blush graced his face. "Help me Qrow!" he pleaded.

"I think I'll stay out of this one." responded Qrow as he pulled out his flask.

Akame then pulled down Tatsumi's pants, leaving him in his boxers.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" he shouted in embarrassment as Akame's eyes looked over his exposed body.

"Thank goodness." she said with a gentle smile which caught Tatsumi off-guard. "I've seen friends die from poison and infection because they wanted to seem tough and not report that they got hurt." she said with emotion for once. "But you seem to be undamaged."

' _She really does care...'_ thought Tatsumi as he blushed.

"The mortality rate for those on their first mission is extremely high. You did very well!" Akame said as she took Tatsumi's hand and held it.

"Th-thanks..." Tatsumi responded.

"Akame was hoping that you would live." said Leone. "She would have been upset if you had died."

"Oh, really?" Tatsumi said as he looked to Akame. He noticed a slight blush grace her face and noticed that her eyes were focused downward. He followed them and realized that he was still holding her hand. "Gah! Sorry!" he said as he recoiled.

"Not a problem." Akame said as she looked at her hand. "It was... warm."

"You learn to communicate with your comrades while cooking." started Najenda. "You learn to kill through a difficult hunt. Did you notice that everything you did in those days was benficial to you?" she asked.

"Eh... oh... really?" stuttered Tatsumi. He then turned to Akame. "Sorry Akame. I... misunderstood."

"It's alright." she said as she gazed into his eyes. "From hear on out, promise me that you will continue to come back alive, Tatsumi."

"Sure thing! It's a promise!" he said with a big smile. "Please continue to take care of me Akame." The girl blushed ever so slightly and turned away from him. _'What was that about?'_

"I wonder what his intentions are whilst saying that almost naked." joked Leone as she held back her laughter.

"You're the ones that stripped me in the first place!" shouted Tatsumi. "And why didn't you do the same to Qrow?!"

The group then turned to the man in question who froze like a deer in headlights. "... Because I was just an observer?" he tried.

"Hmm, very well. Next mission we get we'll have you on point to see what you can do." said Najenda.

"And then we'll strip you~." said Leone as she made a grasping motion with her hands.

"Oh goodie." lamented Qrow.

"By the way Tatsumi, you'll be working under Mine next." spoke Najenda.

"Geh." Tatsumi exclaimed as he dressed himself.

"It's just one thing after another with you ain't it~?" teased Leone.

"I... I have to work with her?!" shouted Tatsumi.

 **Meanwhile...**

"Why am I suddenly getting goose bumps?" asked Mine as she and the rest of the group headed back to base.

 **Back at base...**

"Actually boss..." spoke Qrow. "Would you mind if I handle him and Ieyasu for a few days first? I kind of unlocked his Aura and I want to train him and Ieyasu."

"Hmm, very well. I suppose training with Mine can wait a few days." Najenda said.

 **Meanwhile...**

"Oh, the goose bumps are gone." spoke Mine.

 **Back at base...**

"Well then, I think this calls for a celebration!" shouted Leone as she pulled out a bottle of sake. "A successful first job for Tatsumi!" she cheered as she popped the top to the bottle.

"I'll second that." sad Qrow as he went to the cabinets to get glasses. Leone started pouring the sake into the cups and Qrow handed them out to everyone.

"Umm, not to be the buzzkill, but I'm not old enough to drink." spoke Tatsumi.

"Were assassins kid. Normal rules don't apply to us." said Leone as she raised her glass. "So drink! Kanpai!" she cheered as she downed the glass.

"Cheers!" said Qrow as he and Najenda followed suit.

"Kanpai." spoke Akame in monotone as she drank her glass.

Tatsumi eyed the clear liquid in his glass before shrugging. "Oh well. Bottoms up!" he said before drinking the entire shot in one go. As soon as he finished he broke out in a coughing fit as the liquor burned his throat.

"You okay man?" asked Ieyasu who had yet to drink his glass.

"Gah! It burns!" he shouted as he fell to his knees.

"Oh yeah, this stuff might be a little strong for a newbie." said Leone as she poured herself another glass. "But trust me, the second shot is always better than the first." she said as she offered to pour Tatsumi another glass.

"If you say so." Tatsumi said as he held out his glass again. Meanwhile Ieyasu had slowly sipped at his own glass which resulted in him notbeing burned as badly.

Tatsumi downed another glass and this one went down smoothly. "Hey, you were right."

"Damn right I'm right!" said Leone.

"Take it easy kid. Take the advice of an experienced drinker and leave it at that." spoke Qrow as he downed another shot.

Tatsumi began to feel a little woozy already. "Yeah, I think I'm good. I'll head to bed now." he said as he turned and left.

"What about you Ieyasu?" asked Najenda. "The rest of our group should be arriving back in a while. You gonna stay up to greet them?"

"Sure. I guess that would make the most sense." concurred Ieyasu.

"Great! Now, where were we?" asked Najenda.

"Shot three." answered Qrow.

"Ah yes. Leone, another." Najenda said as she held out her glass.

"Sure thing boss~." answered Leone. The group continued to drink in mostly silence as they waited for the rest of Nightr Raid to return.

"So, Qrow..." started Leone.

"Yeah?"

"Tell me more about yourself. You got a family back home or something?" asked Leone.

Qrow became quiet at the mention of family as he gazed into his reflection in his drink. "I... have a twin sister." he said as if it were a bad thing. "But I'd rather not talk about her. We don't get along on account of her skewed vision of the world."

"Oh..." said Leone, noticing the look in Qrow's eyes. "Well, what can you tell me of the land you're from?"

Qrow let out a slight sigh. "It's a very dangerous land where creatures of darkness known as grim roam the wilds. Think of them as danger beasts, but more numerous." he paused to allow for that thought to sink in among the group.

"Damn, must be tough living there." said Leone.

"You don't know the half of it. Our land is split into four main 'Kingdoms' which are large walled cities that protect the people from the Grimm. Each Kingdom plays host to a prestigious academy that trains aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses. That's what we call the people that fight the Grimm. Think of them as the elite soldiers in an army." spoke Qrow.

"So these, Huntsmen are the main military force in charge?" asked Najenda.

"Not exactly." answered Qrow. "Each Kingdom has their own military and police force, and the Huntsmen are separate from that. They act as specialized agents who take on requests from the government as well as any settlements outside the Kingdom's. Think of them as mercenaries that work for the betterment of society. A lot of kids like to idolize them as hero's." spoke Qrow as he thought of his younger niece.

"And I take it you are one of them?"

"Yep." Qrow said as he popped the 'P'. "I am actually one of the veterans. One of the best of the best where I come from. Few are able to reach my level. I'm not sure if you could figure it out, but Huntsmen don't often live long lives given our line of work. We go out of our way to find trouble and eliminate it."

"Cool..." gaped Ieyasu, but immediately regretted his choice of word. "Uhh, I mean..."

"It's okay kid. I get it." Qrow said as he ruffled Ieyasu's hair. "The life of a Huntsmen is not one to be idolized despite how glamorous it may seem. We get payed well to do the jobs no one else can do. But in the end, it's the most dangerous job around. And someones gotta do it." Qrow said as he downed his drink.

"So, did you have any partners? Anyone you worked with? I assume that you didn't work on your own." said Leone.

"Actually, Huntsmen are put into four man cells when they join the academy. Whether or not these cells prevail is up to the people in them." explained Qrow.

"And your team?"

"... I'd rather not talk about them just yet." Qrow said somberly.

It was then that Leone remembered what his Semblance was and realized it must have affected them. "I'm sorry. Forget I asked. Just... trying to bond I guess."

"It's alright. I understand you have good intentions. Perhaps one day I'll be comfortable telling you about them." Qrow said.

Leone looked into Qrow's eyes and could see that despite his carefree attitude, the man had some pain inside that he was uncomfortable talking about. She felt like she wanted to be the one to help him relieve that pain. Perhaps it was because they were kindred spirits who used alcohol to escape their problems. One day, she would get him to open up to her.

"I think I'm going to turn in." said Qrow as he stood up and headed towards his room. Leone watched him the entire way.

Soon after, the rest of the Night Raid group arrived and introductions with Ieyasu were made. After that everyone turned in for the night.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- Chapter 4 huzzah! I want to thank you for your continued reading of my story. It pleases me that you guys find this story enjoyable. That being said, I know that it is far from perfect, however this is the extent of my writing abilities so unless you want to write a story like mine but better, this is as good as the quality will probably get. I can try to improve based on your input, but don't expect miracles.**

 **On a side note, as of now this story is the longest out of all my fanfics so there's that.**

 **I will try my best to keep characters in character as time goes on.**

 **Also, since I can't keep secrets, I feel obligated to tell you what my pairing plan is. As of now the set in stone pairings are Leone x Qrow and Tatsumi x Akame x Mine. I'm feeling a little ambitious considering, confession time, I haven't written romance before. So if you have some advice for me or have suggestions for rewriting certain things I am all ears.**

 **One last thing. Provided I complete this story I will make a sequel that takes place in the world of RWBY.**

 **Be sure to leave a review.**

 ***EDIT* Made a few changes in response to your reviews when it came to the romance aspect of this chapter. Hope it works better.**

 **Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!**

 **(-)**

Qrow woke up early the next morning despite his body's protest to remain asleep. He had a lot of work ahead of him today and he needed to get started early in order to get as much accomplished as possible. The first thing he did after getting dressed was head to Tatsumi's room. He knocked on the door repeatedly until the teen had finally answered. The door opened to reveal a somewhat tired Tatsumi who had hastily gotten dressed, his eyes still half closed and not paying attention to the world around him completely.

"I'm up already Akame. You don't have to knock so loud." spoke Tatsumi.

"Sorry kid, but I'm afraid I ain't your little girlfriend." teased Qrow.

Tatsumi's eyes blinked open to see the dark haired man in front of him. "Oh. Thought you were Akame for a second. She usually has me wake up early to do morning exercises with her."

"Yeah well today it's my turn. Meet me at the training grounds in 10 minutes. I'm going to go get Ieyasu." Qrow said as he left Tatsumi to go get the other teen.

After waking Ieyasu as well, Qrow headed to the infirmary to quickly check up on Sayo before heading to the training grounds. When he got there he found the two teens already doing stretches in preparation for their strenuous activities.

"Alright kiddies." started Qrow which gained their attention. "I hope you two are ready, because we got a lot of work to do today."

"Bring it on!" cheered Tatsumi with a clenched fist.

"Yeah! We can handle whatever you can dish out!" added Ieyasu.

"Enthusiastic and optimistic, I like it." spoke Qrow which caused the teens to puff out their chests in pride. "I can't wait to beat that out of you." he said menacingly with a sinister grin.

The two teens inadvertently shivered in response.

"But all joking aside..." Qrow said as he returned to his normal carefree self. "This is gonna be a tough curriculum. At times you're gonna feel like you want to quit, that your body will give out at any second and you will collapse. But I can assure you that if you persevere that you will obtain a power the likes of which you have never thought possible." explained Qrow. "First things first, we exercise and stretch."

"Sure thing Qrow-san." said Tatsumi as he nodded.

"And you don't have to add -san to my name. I've heard of different cultures that use honorifics, but I ain't part of them. And even if I was, I'm not to big on them anyway." Qrow said as he waved off Tatsumi. He then led the duo through a set of exercises. Push-ups, sit-ups, jogging, just what you would expect them to do before he sat them down. "Okay. Next we are going to learn how to draw out your Aura. You two still remember what I told you about Aura right?"

The two nodded in affirmation.

"Good. Now I want you to sit with your legs crossed in a meditative pose with your eyes closed." Qrow instructed.

As Tatsumi and Ieyasu did as they were told, Qrow continued to talk.

"Although Aura protection and healing is always active, the strength and speed boost is something you must draw upon yourself. To do this you need to be able to will your Aura to follow your commands. The first and most basic way of doing that is to manifest your Aura, which is what we are going to be doing now. I want you to look deep inside yourself, search for your inner power, and visualize it. Imagine it as an energy that envelops your body and becomes a part of your entire being instead of something internal. Once you get the hang of this then you will be able to draw out your Aura without meditation." Qrow explained as he observed the two teens. He watched as their Aura began to flicker and envelope them, Tatsumi's white and Ieyasu's deep blue.

"Good, keep going until I say to stop." Qrow said as he took a seat nearby. "Steady your breathing and don't try to force it. You have to make it come out willingly."

"How long do we have to do this Qrow?" asked Ieyasu.

"Until you can maintain it without your eyes closed. Now focus Ieyasu. Your Aura is receding."

Ieyasu let out a deep breath before returning to his meditation.

After about an hour with little progress, Qrow decided it was time to give them some help. "Okay, since you're having trouble, I'm gonna use my Aura to aid you in drawing out your own so you can feel what it's like when you're successful."

Qrow made his way over to the teens and put a hand on each of their heads. He then manifested his own Aura and used it to draw out their own. After a few seconds both of their Aura's were active.

"Okay, now open your eyes." Qrow said as he continued to hold their heads.

"Whoah..." uttered Tatsumi as he turned his hands over to observe his Aura.

"This is so cool!" said Ieyasu.

"Focus." said Qrow sternly. 'Try and remember this feeling. This is what you are aiming for."

"O-okay." responded Tatsumi.

The two of them then did their best to memorize the feeling so that they could replicate it on their own.

"Now, I think it's about time we get some breakfast." Qrow said as his hands left the teens.

"You can say that again." spoke Ieyasu.

The trio headed back into the base and down the halls to the dining room where the majority of the Night Raid assassins were already gathered.

"Oh, back from morning training already?" asked Leone

Qrow scratched the back of his head. "Something like that." he answered. "Can't train on an empty stomach."

"Agreed." said Akame from the kitchen.

"So, did the two of them do so far?" asked Najenda.

"Hnn, alright, considering they haven't been trained in Aura use before. Usually you have a year of schooling on the stuff beforehand. Starting straight from we are with no experience is something rare." explained Qrow as he poured himself a cup of coffee before taking out his flask and adding some of its contents to the cup as well.

"Are you ever sober?" asked Mine.

Qrow narrowed his eyes at the girl and gave her an incredulous look. "Yes. Just, not right now." he answered

"Well when was the last time you were sober?"

Qrow then looked to the ceiling and began counting on his fingers. "What year is this?"

"Urgh... stupid drunk." Mine muttered.

"Hey, I resent that." Qrow said as he crossed his arms. "I am not stupid."

"But you are drunk."

"And I've come to terms with that." he said as he drank his coffee.

"Have you ever considered that you have a drinking problem? I mean, not even Leone is as hammered as often as you are." said Lubbock.

"Drinking problem?" Qrow said as if the idea was foreign to him. "Nope, I got it all figured out."

"Just let it go you guys. He obviously has a reason for drinking. Whether it's for pleasure or to numb pain, we have no reason to judge him for it. All that matters is that he can get the job done." said Qrow's fellow drinker.

Qrow took a seat next to Leone at the table. "Thanks for that. Not that I needed any help."

"No problem. Just so you know, if you ever need to talk, I'm all ears." said Leone with a grin as she used Lionel to grow an extra pair of ears.

Qrow narrowed his eyes at the woman. "Hnn, thanks for the offer, but I'm fine." he responded.

Leone shrugged her shoulders. "If you say so."

"Anyway, if none of you have anything to do later, you're free to sit in on my training session with Tatsumi and Ieyasu. Who knows, you might just learn something." said Qrow.

The Night Raid group was somewhat curious as to what Qrow's training consisted of, especially when it came to Aura and Semblances. After all, they might need his training one day if he unlocks their Aura as well. But that was a concern for another time. Right now it was time for breakfast.

After a well balanced meal courtesy of Akame, Qrow resumed his training with Ieyasu and Tatsumi.

"Okay boys, you know the drill. Time for more meditation." said Qrow.

After a few hours with almost no progress, Tatsumi decided to make his voice heard. "Are you sure this is the only way for us to draw out our Aura?" asked Tatsumi. "Isn't there a faster way?"

Qrow grinned. "I was hoping that you would ask that."

"For some reason the look on your face worries me." said Ieyasu.

Qrow approached the two. "Yes, there is a faster way, and since the enemy will not wait for you to be ready, I was already considering it."

"Well if there is a faster way then let's do it!" spoke Tatsumi. "I need to get strong real fast if I'm to catch up to everyone else."

"Are you sure about this kid? I mean, I haven't even told you what the method is yet."

"Positive." Tatsumi said with conviction. "I'm ready for whatever you have in store for us."

" And you can count me in as well." added Ieyasu.

"Alright, if you're sure. But first, a little lesson." Qrow said as he took out his flask. "Evolution is the adaptation of an organism in response to stimuli in the environment."

Tatsumi and Ieyasu looked confused at what Qrow started with and he could tell.

"Stay with me here. The reason for evolution is born from the organisms desire to live. Over generations it will adapt to the dangers around it in order to survive. The same could be said for humans. In order to survive we adapt to the dangers around us. If we are cold we put on a coat, if we are hot we shed our clothing, if we fight something that a sword won't kill then we try bullets. These are just a few ways that we learn and adapt. The soul is no different. Aura and Semblances develop faster when the soul is in danger of termination." explained Qrow.

"I don't think we're gonna like where this is going." Ieyasu whispered to his friend.

"So... we're gonna have a little spar. Go get your weapons and meet me back here." Qrow instructed.

The duo left to retrieve their weapons whilst Qrow waited and drank. Before the two of them returned however, some of the Night Raid group had shown up. It was Leone, Sheele, Bulat, and Akame.

"Hey guys. I see you decided to take a gander at the training." spoke Qrow as he waved at the group.

"Indeed we have!" spoke Bulat. "But where are Tatsumi and Ieyasu?"

"They went to get their weapons. Seeing as how we are short on time I decided to do the training the fast way."

"That being?" asked Leone.

"You'll see. In fact, you guys might be able to help. So be ready in case I call for you."

Shortly after, Tatsumi and Ieyasu returned with their weapons. Tatsumi with his sword and Ieyasu with dual short swords.

"Ahh, an ambidextrous sword wielder." said Qrow. "You don't see that quite often."

"Heh, impressive right?" Ieyasu said proudly.

"Only if you are as experienced with both hands, otherwise you may lean towards one as preference." said Qrow. "But I digress. Time for training. Are you ready?" Qrow said as he grabbed his own sword and drew it.

"Bring it on! We can handle a little spar!" shouted Tatsumi as he pumped his fist upwards.

"Oh, this won't be your ordinary spar." spoke Qrow.

"How so?" asked Ieyasu.

"For the duration of our fight, I am going to come at you with the intent to kill." Qrow said darkly as his eyes narrowed.

"What?!" scrwamed the two teens. Even the watchers were curious as to what Qrow was thinking.

"The enemy will not hold back when they fight you, so you must get used to killing intent. It will also force your body to adapt to survive. I will be lowering my skill level to be just barely above what you are capable of, so you should be able to defend yourselves provided you give it your all. At least, that's what the theory is. Are you ready?" asked Qrow.

"Is it too late to switch back to the safe way?" asked Ieyasu.

"Yep." Qrow said as he dashed forward and slashed downward at Ieyasu.

The teen blocked the strike with both of his swords but was buckling under the pressure Qrow was exerting. Qrow then outstretched his foot and kicked Ieyasu in the midsection, sending him flying back.

"That kick would've cracked a rib in a normal human, but your Aura was able to protect you from the damage. That will only last for so long." explained Qrow.

He then turned to Tatsumi and threw his sword at him. Tatsumi brought his sword up to deflect Qrow's and sent it upward. Qrow lunged into the air and grabbed his sword before plummeting back down on top of Tatsumi who raised his sword to block. Qrow landed foot first on Tatsumi's sword and kicked downward to force pressure on the teen. Tatsumi swung his sword outward which caused Qrow to fly off of the blade, but he landed with no trouble whatsoever. He followed up his landing by singing his sword upward at Tatsumi who rolled to the side, the blade slicing off a few strands of hair as it passed by his head.

"Come on! Fight back!" shouted Qrow as he unleashed a flurry of strikes at Tatsumi, all aimed at different locations on his body.

The teen barely managed to dodge or deflect the strikes as several managed to nick his body, however his Aura prevented him from taking any damage. By now Ieyasu had recovered and was on his way to aid his friend. He swung both of his swords sideways at Qrow's back, but, without turning to face his attacker, Qrow had brought his sword around to block the slashes. It took Ieyasu a moment to recover, and in that time Qrow spun and delivered a punch to Ieyasu's face. Ieyasu recoiled from the strike and as he looked up he saw Qrow swinging his sword again. He caught the blade in between his own two blades which he had crossed.

"Tatsumi! Now!"

Tatsumi took advantage of the opening presented and slashed at Qrow. However the professional Huntsman jumped over the attack and flipped forward over Ieyasu. As he was in the air he delivered a kick to the back of Ieyasu's head which sent him stumbling into Tatsumi.

The duo recovered quickly and took up a stance as they prepared for Qrow's next assault.

"Qrow-san appears to be very proficient at combat." said Bulat.

"It would seem that it is the case." concurred Sheele.

"Holding back." spoke Akame.

"Yeah, that's right. He said he would be holding back as well." said Leone. "I wonder just how strong he really is..."

Qrow beckoned for Tatsumi and Ieyasu to attack, which the two gladly did. They both stuck at him at the same time, their swords clanging against Qrow's as he blocked and parried their onslaught.

"Don't forget why we are doing this!" shouted Qrow. "We are trying to draw out your Aura and Semblance. So while you are fighting I want you to remember to try and draw upon that strength."

As Tatsumi attempted to get behind Qrow's guard with a wide slash, he countered by swinging downward and knocking Tatsumi's sword from his hand. Seeing this, Ieyasu picked up the pace so as to allow Tatsumi time to recover his weapon. His attacks were unrelenting as he used his twin swords to assault Qrow. this time, Qrow decided to simply dodge all of the attacks directed at him as he swerved between the blades, missing them by only a hairs breadth.

Tatsumi grabbed his sword and rejoined the fight. After a while, he and Ieyasu began to get a hang of Qrow's movements are were starting to be able to keep up. But just when they were getting the hang of it, Qrow stepped it up a notch.

"Damn!" cursed Tatsumi. "He was serious when he said he would always stay just above our level."

"Yeah. He certainly isn't going to allow us any leeway." said a sweating Ieyasu.

"Come on guys." said Qrow as he stabbed his sword into the ground and took out his flask. "I haven't even gotten warmed up yet. If you were fighting me at full strength you'd be dead by now."

The two teens grit their teeth as they charged Qrow who still had his flask out. They weren't going to let an opening go unpunished.

Qrow tossed his flask in the air and quickly pulled his sword out of the ground. He swung wide, intent on hitting both teens, but they ducked underneath. Qrow brought the flat edge of his sword up to block their combined attack before bashing it forward to break their combo. He then swung his blade down at Tatsumi. It's edge hitting him square in the chest and breaking his Aura. Qrow followed up by stabbing his blade through Ieyasu's guard, causing his Aura to fail as well. The two teens fell to the ground exhausted as Qrow caught his flask as it fell back down to earth.

"Not bad for your first time. But it seems this is where we call it a day." Qrow said as he took a sip from his flask.

"Aww man." groaned Ieyasu. "I was hoping that at the very least we would be able to hit you once."

"Yeah, you ain't playing fair." grumbled Tatsumi.

"Who said that the enemy would be playing fair?" asked Qrow. "They won't hold back and they certainly won't wait for you to be ready. By comparison I think I was being nice to you."

"He's right you know." came Leone's voice. "If he wanted to he had plenty of opportunities to hit you but he held back instead."

"Need more training." said Akame.

"Well, that will be all for today. Your Aura will take a little while to recover so I can't do anything else with you for now. I guess I'll hand you off to Akame." spoke Qrow.

The girl in question nodded her head before approaching the two teens. "We have a lot of work to do."

Qrow walked off and left Akame to go about her business with the duo. As he did, he was waved over by Bulat.

"I must say Qrow, that was quite an impressive display that you put on. Perhaps one day we might have a spar ourselves?" said the large man.

Qrow shrugged. "I don't see why not."

"Excellent! Then come and find me whenever you are ready." said Bulat.

"Yeah well, right now I'm going to take a nap. I woke up early to train those two and now that it's finished I can catch up on my sleep." spoke Qrow as he headed inside.

"Hey Qrow!" called Leone as he was leaving.

"Yeah?" he asked as he looked over his shoulder at the busty blonde.

"I was wondering if you would like to join me in going to the capital later. I have to meet with a client and was curious if you wanted to join me for a drink at one of the bars beforehand. I know a really good place."

"Hmm." Qrow mumbled as he scratched his chin. "Sure. I don't see why not."

"It's a date then!" Leone said with a smile.

"Yeah whatever." mumbled Qrow as he left.

"Oho!" exclaimed Bulat.

"'Oho' what?" asked Leone as she turned her attention to Bulat.

"I see what you did there."

"And just what would that be Bulat?" asked Leone.

"You just asked Qrow out on a date." he said with a thumbs up.

"Pff, he wishes." said Leone. "Nothing about what I offered him was a date."

"I don't know." said Sheele. "I have to agree with Bulat. You even said 'it's a date'."

"That's just an expression." Leone said as she waved her hands. "I was just inviting a drinking buddy out for a pre-mission pub crawl."

"That's not how I saw it~." said Bulat. "Looks to me like you have a thing for Qrow."

Leone shrugged. "If that's what you see then you should probably get your eyes checked. We're nothing more than drinking buddies and that's the way it's gonna stay."

Bulat huffed slightly. "You say that now, but how long will you be able to deny the possibility of you two hooking up? You start out as drinking buddies but then it develops into something more. I can see it now, a beautiful love blossoming between the two of you." said Bulat over dramatically.

"Puh-lease, the guy is like ten years older than me. If anything I would try for someone more my age. I could do much better then him."

"Oh I don't know. Since when has age ever been a problem when it comes to love?" asked Bulat as he winked.

Leone was getting tired of Bulat's theatrics. "Tch, whatever." grumbled Leone as she left as well. _'It's not like I'm in love with the guy. I just want to get to know him better over a drink. Is that so wrong?'_ thought Leone.

 **(-)**

A few hours had passed and Leone headed to Qrow's room to see if he was ready to head to the capital. Upon arriving she knocked on the door. A few moments passed before the red eyed man opened up.

"Oh, Leone. Good to see you." he said as he let out a yawn. Obviously he had just woken up.

"You too." responded Leone. "Are you ready to head to the capital?"

"Yep, just let me grab my sword." Qrow said as he went to retrieve his weapon. "Let's go."

The duo left the base and hiked through the forest for about an hour before arriving at the capital.

"So, where's this bar you want to take me to?"

"Just down the road." answered Leone as she led Qrow through the crowds.

Nightime was fast approaching and everyone was getting the last of their business done before it became dark.

After a short walk the duo arrived at a small bar called 'The Last Shot'.

"Well, this is the place!" said Leone.

"Hmm, looks a little small." spoke Qrow.

"Yeah, but they serve the best stuff here."

Qrow shrugged. "If you say so."

The two entered the establishment which was already packed with people. Fortunately they managed to find a seat at the bar. As they sat down, Qrow noticed the looks of jealousy that the other men were shooting him. No doubt it was because of his company.

"Hnn, bunch of rubberneckers." muttered Qrow.

Leone, picking up on what Qrow meant, patted him on the back. "Just ignore them. They're just jealous that they aren't here with a hot piece of ass like me. Let's just enjoy our drinks." Leone said as they waited for the bartender.

The bartender came around and got them their drinks, which the two of them happily downed.

"Man, you were right. This stuff is good." said Qrow as he took another sip from his glass.

"Hmph, told ya." Leone said as she puffed out her chest with pride which only accentuated her breasts.

Qrow looked away with a slight blush on his face which was missed by Leone.

"So... your nieces... are you close to them?" asked Leone, trying to break the ice.

"Yeah. We're pretty close. Although technically one of them isn't my niece." said Qrow.

"What do you mean?"

"My real niece is seventeen years old and her name is Yang. She is the daughter of my sister. The other niece, Ruby, is her fifteen year old half-sister who is the daughter of another woman but the same father. I treat her as my honorary niece regardless." answered Qrow.

"Why is that?" asked Leone.

"Hnn, why indeed..." Qrow said as he got a distant look in his eyes as he took another sip from his glass. "Anyway, I love both of them dearly and even helped Ruby to build her own weapon and personally taught her how to fight. She is a real bundle of hyperactive joy who is obsessed with weapons." Qrow said with a fond smile. "Her sister however is a little spitfire who makes the worst puns imaginable. It truly is cringe worthy some of them."

"Sounds cute." said Leone with a smile.

"Yeah, they are."

"... Worried you might not see them again?" asked Leone.

"Everytime I go out on a mission." said Qrow. "This time is no different."

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll see them again." said Leone as she rubbed Qrow's shoulder.

"Thanks, I needed that. Sometimes the comfort of a bottle isn't quite enough, you know?"

Leone gazed a the glass in her hands. "... Yeah. Sometimes you just need that human comfort. Someone to tell you that it'll all be fine."

"What about you Leone? You got any family?" asked Qrow as he downed his drink.

"Of course I do. The rest of the gang is my family." she said with a bright smile.

"Hmm, good for you." Qrow said, picking up on the fact that she hadn't mentioned her real family. It was obvious that either something happened to them or she never knew them, so she considered her friends in Night Raid to be her family. "So, what did you do before this mess? I can't imagine that someone like you was just thrown into this line of work."

"Well..." Leone started in a somewhat sad tone. "I grew up in the slums of the capital. My whole life was spent there. Childhood, adolescence, you get the idea. And I needed to earn a living, so I took a job at a massage parlor where I worked for the majority of my life."

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "You were a masseuse?" he asked incredulously.

"Somehow the way you asked that makes me feel offended." Leone said as she lightly glared at Qrow.

Qrow waved his hands in defense. "I meant nothing by it. Just didn't think you'd be in such of a... delicate, line of work. Being a masseuse requires a lot of skill with your hands. And given what I've seen you do with those hands..." he trailed off as he recalled Leone mauling the tribal mercenary from the other day.

Leone let out a chuckle. "I can see where you're coming from." Leone said as she took a sip from her drink. "And before you ask, no, I don't give out free massages. If you want one you're gonna have to pay like everyone else."

"Hmph, wasn't going to ask." responded Qrow who was much more interested in his drink.

"Why Qrow, are you implying that you don't want a rub down from me~?" she said rather teasingly. She was also loud enough for the other men in the bar to hear her which sent a new wave of glares at Qrow.

"I bet you'd sooner break my back than fix it." Qrow quipped.

"For an ass like you you're probably right."

The two of them continued to talk at length about things in general. Qrow about his hunts and the Grimm and Leone about her hobbies. Soon it was time for them to leave and meet up with their client. The duo paid for their drinks and left the bar and headed to the slums. Once arriving, Leone led them to a secluded alleyway where there was a disheveled man waiting for them.

"Are you the guys?" he asked.

"Depends, who are you looking for?" Leone asked as she transformed with Lionel.

"Yeah, you're the one." he answered.

"Alright buddy. What do you need done?" asked Leone as Qrow stood back and let her talk.

"I need you to kill a noble by the name of Adius." answered the man.

"Okay. And what has this noble done to gain your ire?"

"The noble is known for purchasing slaves from out of town. He is also an avid hunter, but not a hunter of beasts. He releases his slaves on to his large property and then hunts them for sport. My son was one of his victims." explained the man sadly.

"It is well known among the slaver circles of Adius' intent with his slaves. As soon as my son was purchased by him, he sent me a letter saying goodbye." the man said as he began to sob. "I cannot allow his death to go unpunished." he said as he took out a large sack of coins. "I went around to every loan shark I could find and borrowed enough money to pay you. By this time next week they will have me in a vice. But I don't care about what happens to me. My son was the only family I had left... and now he's dead. Please, avenge my son, kill Adius." he pleaded.

Leone, upon making sure no one was listening, took the bag of coin. "Worry not." she said. "Adius will suffer for his crimes. Your sacrifice will not go unrewarded."

"Th-thank you. Thank you." the man said as he left.

"Well, now that that's done, It's time to return to base." said Leone.

"Lead the way." responded Qrow.

 **(-)**

After returning to the base, Leone and Qrow reported to Najenda about the assignment.

"Hmm, Adius has been a potential target for a while now. It seems that now is the time to strike." said Najenda. "What do we know about him?"

"He lives on a large plot of land just outside the capital that is patrolled by countless guards. A large fence wraps around the property to prevent anyone from escaping. The fence is rigged with alarms so sneaking in isn't really an option. If the alarm goes off then he will secure himself in his panic room. The odds of us getting to him before that happens are slim with all the guards." said Lubbock as he read off a file.

"... What about when he leaves the property?" asked Qrow.

"He rarely leaves due to his paranoia. Apparently he is worried that we are gunning for him." snickered Lubbock.

"Well he's not wrong." said Mine.

"But he does leave once a month to pick out new slaves personally. And it just so happens that tomorrow is the day he does so."

"So then that is our best bet to get him." spoke Tatsumi.

"He leaves in the morning and returns at night. Which gives us a small window of opportunity to kill him." said Sheele.

"Unfortunately the route he takes to leave is different then the one he takes home, so we are going to have to split up into teams to cover all the roads." explained Lubbock.

"Hmm, the teams will be as follows; Bulat and Ieyasu, Mine and Sheele, Tatsumi, Lubbock and Akame, and Qrow and Leone." spoke Najenda. "Each one of you will take a different route and lie in wait for him. The team that kills him will report to the others before heading to his property to kill any remaining guards. Tomorrow will we conduct the mission so go over the routes and get some sleep. Dismissed!"

The group dispersed after each team picked their routes and went to bed. Tomorrow the one being hunted will be Adius.

 **(-)**

Each team was lying in wait along their assigned paths. Each eagerly waiting to see if they were the ones that picked the winning ticket. Qrow and Leone were waiting along path C, hiding in the foliage just beyond the road. Leone was already in her beast form, listening for the sound of Adius' carriage coming down the path. And Qrow was busy fiddling with his scroll.

Qrow stifled a yawn of boredom. "When is this guy gonna show up? Gonna die of boredom at this rate."

"Relax." Leone said as she nudged Qrow. "We don't even know if this is the path he will take. Besides, you should just be happy that you get to spend some alone time with a beautiful woman~."

"And who would that be?" he said teasingly.

Leone pouted in response. "Are you implying that I'm not beautiful?"

Qrow huffed slightly as he grinned. "Not at all." he said as he took out his flask and drank from it. "You want a sip?" he asked as he offered the flask to Leone.

"Hmm, sure." she said as she grabbed the container and took a sip before handing it back to Qrow who took one last sip. "You do realize that we just shared an indirect kiss right?" teased Leone.

"Hmph, you're gonna have to do better than that to get me flustered." he said with a cocky grin.

"Oh don't worry, I'll get you one of these days." challenged Leone.

Time passed agonizingly slowly as the duo waited for either Adius to show up or for word from the others. As time went by Leone began rapidly tapping her foot on the ground.

"Geez, and I thought I was impatient." muttered Qrow.

"Can't help it. It's not just impatience." responded Leone said as she stood up. "That's it. I can't hold it anymore." Leone said as she walked deeper into the woods.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Qrow.

"To pick flowers." answered Leone.

"Is this really the time to go flower picking? At night on a mission?"

Leone groaned in response as she facepalmed. "I'm not really going to pick flowers. It's a euphemism."

"For what? Forgive me, but I'm not well versed in this euphemism." spoke Qrow.

"Urghh... I have to take a piss." groaned Leone as her face turned a little red at admitting her intention.

"Then why didn't you just say so?" asked Qrow.

"Because women don't like to outright admit they have to pee!"

"Geez, sorry I asked." Qrow said as raised his hands defensively.

Leone left Qrow by himself and headed deeper into the woods to take care of her business. "Geez, insensitive jerk." she muttered.

Leone took one last look around her to make sure she was clear before hooking her thumbs into her pants and lowering them.

Meanwhile, Qrow had decided to take to the sky as a crow and see if he could spot Adius' carriage from there. After a short search he saw the carriage fast approaching down their path so he decided to go get Leone and inform her if she didn't already know. He landed back at their ambush spot and headed in the direction Leone had went in search of her.

"Yo, Leone!" he called out as he made his way through the brush.

"Yeah? What is it? And don't you dare come over here." she warned.

"Adius is on his way over here."

"What? How could you tell?"

"Not important. Now hurry up and finish your business. We got work to do."

"You can't rush this!" said Leone. "I'm almost finished, just wait at the spot and I'll join you when I'm done."

"Alright, alright!" Qrow said as he headed back. "No need to bite my head off."

Adius' carriage was fast approaching and Leone still wasn't back. If Qrow didn't do something soon then he would pass by and escape. So Qrow did the only thing he could think of. He improvised. He loaded a clip of exploding fire dust slug rounds into his swords shotgun and lowered the blade to access the gun. He stayed crouched along the road and as soon as the carriage was coming down the path he fired a few shots into it. One slug struck one of the horses and blew it's head off in a ball of fire which showered the other horse. The other two shots pierced the carriage and detonated inside, turning the carriage into an inferno.

Adius and his guards jumped out of the burning carriage and dropped to the ground and rolled in an attempt to put out the fire. Unfortunately for them, Qrow was waiting and swiftly ended their lives with the business end of his blade.

Leone, hearing the commotion, came rushing over only to find the destructive scene before her. "Well, I guess you didn't need my help after all."

"Only cause you take too long to pee." joked Qrow.

"Asshole!" Leone shouted. _'Seriously, who on earth would fall in love with this jerk.'_

She then pulled out the flare gun that they had been given to signal that they had encountered Adius. She aimed it skyward and fired. As the flare raced up into the night sky, three others shot up in response. Now it was time for the second part of the mission; mopping up the guards at Adius' estate.

Qrow and Leone headed through the woods to the meeting point outside of the estate where the rest of the teams were already gathered.

"So, you got the target huh?" asked Lubbock.

"Nah, we shot the flare up for fun." replied Qrow.

Lubbock rolled his eyes in response.

"Anyway." started Akame. "It is time to begin the second phase of the mission." she said as she turned to face the large building just beyond the trees. "Eliminate all targets."

"Right." the group responded.

 **(-)**

The rest of the mission went off without a hitch. The guards who remained at the estate were easily wiped out by Night Raid's surprise attack, and the slaves who remained there were set free. Once they were certain that all of the guards had been dealt with, the group of assassins headed home where they reported the missions success to Najenda.

"I see. You did a fine job everyone. Especially you Qrow." spoke Najenda.

"Meh, it was no big deal." Qrow said as he took out his flask. "Nothing I couldn't handle."

"Glad to hear that. You know what comes next right?" asked Najenda.

Qrow froze mid sip and completely tensed up. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Leone making grasping motions with her hands with a perverted smirk on her face.

"Fuck..." he said as he took off down the hall.

"After him!" shouted Leone as she took off after the Huntsman. The rest of the group soon followed suit and chased Qrow across the base. However the Huntsman had proved to be quite elusive. As soon as they lost sight of him they never saw him again and soon the chase devolved into a game of hide and seek.

"Damn! Where could he have gone?" Leone asked as she and Sheele searched high and low to find Qrow. They had decided to search the outside of the base and were currently scouring the training grounds.

"It is quite curious. How could he just disappear like that?" Sheele said as she looked behind some of the training dummies.

"Grr, this guy is really pissing me off. Come out and face the music Qrow!" shouted Leone as she raised her head skyward. She then noticed something odd. Sitting atop one of the training dummies was a crow. Under normal circumstances she would just pass this off as a random bird, but something was off about it. It had red eyes. "Hey, Sheele?"

"Yeah?"

"Are crows nocturnal?"

"I don't think so. Why?"

Leone pointed at the crow. "I've got a hunch." she said as she carefully approached the crow which looked alarmed. It made to take off but Leone pounced and grabbed it. "Gotcha!"

The bird flailed about and cawed in annoyance and tried to peck at Leone's fingers.

"What are you doing Leone?!" asked an alarmed Sheele. "It's just a bird!"

"It ain't just a bird! Isn't that right 'Qrow'?" Leone said as she looked into the birds eyes.

"What are you talking about Leone?" asked Sheele.

"Tell me Sheele, when was the last time you saw a crow with red eyes?"

"Umm... never."

"And Qrow has red eyes right?"

"Yes." confirmed Sheele as the crow began to seemingly sweat.

"Red eyes, a bird that brings bad luck and that shouldn't be nocturnal, and he even shares his name with the damn thing." Leone listed off as the birds struggling ceased. "I don't know how, but this bird is Qrow. Ain't that right?" she finished as she looked back at the bird.

Before her very eyes the bird grew in size and took on a more human form. A form that Leone easily recognized. Qrow.

"Hmph, didn't expect you to figure it out so fast." said Qrow who was now pinned by his arms on the ground by Leone.

"Sheele, go tell the others that we found him." instructed Leone.

Sheele left to inform the others to stop looking and left Leone and Qrow by themselves.

"So, you can turn into your namesake." spoke Leone.

"It would seem that way." answered Qrow.

"Why not tell us?"

"A man is entitled to a few secrets right? Besides, it just reminds me of my Semblance. Not something I like to advertise."

"How?"

"That is a secret that I will be keeping if you don't mind."

"Hmph, very well then. If you don't want to talk about it then I won't pry."

"Mind letting me go now?" asked Qrow.

"Sorry, but I can't have you flying off again." responded Leone.

"Hnn, fair enough." Qrow said begrudgingly. "Anyway..."

"What?"

"Usually when it comes to women I'm the one on top." he said, reminding them of their suggestive positions.

"God you are such an ass." scoffed Leone. "But... I can't say I don't like a good ass~." she said teasingly.

"Oho. Well, I haven't had any complaints from the ladies." responded Qrow. "Perhaps you would like to..." Qrow trailed off in a joking tone.

"You wish." said Leone. "Sorry, but despite my appearance and attitude, I'm saving myself for the right guy."

"Good for you..." Qrow said somewhat melancholic.

"Anyway..." Leone said as the mood got quickly depressing. "This is going to happen one of two ways. Either you take off your clothes willingly so I can check you, or we wait for the others to show up and force them off you."

"Hahh," Qrow sighed. "Fine, I'll take 'em off."

Leone let go of Qrow and allowed him to stand back up. He took off his jacket and shirt, revealing his well toned body. He was well built and muscular, but not overly so. Leone found herself unintentionally ogling Qrow's body as he disrobed. As he dropped his pants and was only in his black boxers he spun around for her to see that he was uninjured.

"Are we done here?" he asked..

"Oh yeah, we're done." Leone said with a perverted grin as she enjoyed the show.

Qrow then re-adorned his clothes just as the rest of Night Raid showed up.

"We're finished guys. He's fine." said Leone.

"Oh, so Leone got a special private viewing session?" teased Lubbock. "How nice that must have been for you~."

"Shut up Lubbock, it wasn't like that." responded Leone.

"Sure it wasn't~.' he said as he left.

"Grr, damn pervert." grumbled Leone as she noticed the rest of the group was looking at her intently. "What? Nothing happened!" she shouted as she shooed the group away.

Meanwhile Qrow looked on with a chuckle at Leone's antics.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N- Hello everybody! Here it is, chapter 5! I hope you like it. Can't help but feel like I should say more here but I can't think of anything else right now. Probably forgetting something important but I'll remember it eventually. I got a lot of plans for what's coming up later on in the story. I'm so excited that I almost want to spoil it for you. But I won't.**

 **Anyway, be sure to leave a review.**

 **For those of you who aren't aware I edited the last chapter so there's that.**

 **One last thing. Don't expect me to keep any sort of pace or schedule with my updates. I am completely random in that regard.**

 **Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!**

 **(-)**

A few days had passed since Night Raids last mission and things were progressing well for Tatsumi and Ieyasu. They would spend most of their days training with Akame and Qrow. The two of them trading off every so often. Currently Tatsumi was sparring with Akame in the training grounds while Qrow had Ieyasu try meditating again.

"Faster." Akame ordered as she swung her training sword at Tatsumi. "The goal of this exercise is for you to anticipate my moves and prepare an effective counter attack." the assassin said as she aimed for Tatsumi's legs. However, Tatsumi was prepared for this and blocked with his sword. Not to lose the initiative, Tatsumi followed up with a slash of his own. Akame managed to jump out of the attacks reach just in time, but was surprised by how fast Tatsumi's attack was. He was progressing rather well. "Good. That last attack was much better, but you still have a ways to go. Until you are able to land a hit on me we will continue these sparring sessions."

Tatsumi let out a few heavy breaths. They had already been at this for a while. "Don't you worry Akame. I'll get you one of these days."

Akame smiled slightly. "I look forward to it. Still, you have progressed rather well. Much faster than I anticipated."

"Well I have a great teacher." said Tatsumi.

"That you do. Now, prepare yourself. You still have some energy left so we go again."

Off to the side, Qrow spared a glance at the duo as they sparred. Akame's skill was easily discernible as still being leagues above Tatsumi's, but she was right. He was progressing well. Qrow then returned his attention to his own student. Ieyasu sat in front of him cross legged with his eyes closed. His Aura slowly starting to flicker and manifest itself. It wouldn't be long before he was able to draw upon it and increase his strength and speed. The same could be said for Tatsumi, although he seemed to be progressing faster than Ieyasu.

"Focus Ieyasu. After this I'm gonna come at you with the intent to kill again." spoke Qrow.

"Yeah yeah, I know." replied Ieyasu. "It just seems like I'm not making any progress."

"Don't worry, you are. You just can't tell yet."

"How long does this take on average?"

"Hmm..." Qrow mumbled as he scratched his chin. "It depends on the person, but under normal circumstances without my aggressive teaching style, it takes about a month. You've only been at it a few days."

"So what? Are we getting close or not?"

"Yep. Shouldn't be much longer now. And once you gain the extra boost, keeping up with Akame will be a cinch." Qrow said with a grin as he took out his flask. "Yo Akame! You done yet?"

"Just finishing up now." Akame answered as she clashed swords with Tatsumi again. "I think that's enough for now." she said as she lowered her sword. "You have done well today Tatsumi. Soon you will be a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield."

"Well... you know..." Tatsumi said between breaths. "I couldn't have done it without your training Akame. You really are amazing."

Akame turned to hide the faint blush that dusted her face. Every time Tatsumi compliments her she feels strange and starts blushing. _'What is this feeling? It's just like the time I held his hand. I feel elated whenever he says something nice to me. And my stomach, it feels all tingly.'_

"Hey, Akame? Are you alright?" asked Tatsumi which broke Akame out of her stupor.

"What? Oh, yes. I'm fine." she replied.

"Hey kid!" called Qrow. "I see you're thanking your girlfriend for training you, but what about all the work you did with me? Am I helping you out for nothing? I'll have you know that there are people that would kill to be trained by me personally... Probably."

"Thank you too Qrow." said Tatsumi with less enthusiasm. "And she's not my girlfriend." he added dryly.

However Qrow's remark had only made Akame blush again.

"Whatever." Qrow said with a wave. "Now get your ass over here. It's time for another round."

"Ughh... coming." groaned Tatsumi. He wasn't looking forward to another one sided match against Qrow.

Tatsumi took up his stance across from Qrow who already had his sword drawn. Both of them were waiting for the other to make the first move. In the end, it was Qrow who took initiative. Rushing forward, he lashed out with a series of slashes, all aimed at Tatsumi's chest. Tatsumi, for his part, did rather well in blocking the assault. He was getting used to Qrow's swings and was able to tell how fast his attack rate was. But he knew that would only last for so long. Eventually Qrow would step it up and he would have to adapt again. And judging from how well he was doing that would happen soon. He needed to turn the swing of the battle in his favor.

As Qrow swung down at Tatsumi, he deflected the blade to the ground and countered with a horizontal slash of his own. It never hit its mark as Qrow back stepped just enough to be out of range of the attack. But Tatsumi wasn't done. He wasn't going to lose momentum, so he pressed his attack further. His strikes were savage and unrelenting, but at the same time calculated and precise. Every attack had a purpose and Tatsumi was successful in forcing Qrow to guard. He had spent the last few battles taking note of Qrow's tells. Whether or not Qrow left those tells for him to find was up for debate, but Tatsumi wanted to think that he found them on his own.

' _Just like that. Keep going.'_ Tatsumi thought as his assault continued. He was waiting for an opportunity. Every time Qrow was about to increase his skill he would stop for a moment to smirk. Whether that smirk was in approval of Tatsumi's skills or just Qrow enjoying the fight he didn't know. What he did know was that it was the only opportunity Tatsumi had to hit him. The two continued to exchange blows for a time, neither one giving any ground, however Tatsumi was beginning to overtake Qrow. The two clashed swords and ground the blades together as sparks formed.

Qrow smirked as his grip on his sword tightened.

' _There!'_ Tatsumi, seeing the tell, quickly slid his sword down towards the handle of Qrow's and then jerked it to the side, deflecting Qrow's blade and leaving him open.

Qrow's eyes widened in surprise at Tatsumi's successful attack, but Tatsumi wasn't done yet. Not losing momentum, he spun on his heel and brought his sword all the way around and back to Qrow, slashing across his chest in the process.

Qrow staggered back from the strike and looked down to his chest. The telltale glow of his Aura informing him that he was indeed hit.

"Hah... I did it..." Tatsumi said disbelievingly as he processed what just happened. "I did it!" he cheered with arms raised, only to have Qrow rush forward and kick him in the chest which sent him flying.

"Don't get so cocky kid. Just because you landed a hit on me doesn't mean that you won. The battle continues until the opponent is dead. Or in this case, until I kick your ass." spoke Qrow.

"Urghh..." Tatsumi groaned as he got back up. "You couldn't let me just enjoy the little victories?"

Qrow snorted. "Nope. But... Seeing as how you managed to hit me, I suppose that means that you found my tell."

"So you left that on purpose?"

"Yep. And you did a good job of exploiting it." Qrow said with praise. "Now prepare yourself. I'm gonna get a bit more serious now."

Tatsumi collected himself and settled back into a stance, waiting for Qrow's assault.

"Let's see how you handle this..." Qrow said as he pulled a trigger on his blades grip. The gears in the handle began to grind and the blade itself broke into segments.

Tatsumi, Akame, and Ieyasu watched in curiosity as the blade then curved in an arc before the handle extended. When all was said and done, Qrow's sword had effectively turned into a scythe.

"What the hell...?" uttered Tatsumi.

"Curious." said Akame in monotone.

"How is that possible?" asked Ieyasu.

"Hmph, impressed? Where I come from I am known as the strongest scythe wielder." boasted Qrow.

"Okay... you wanna explain how your sword is also a scythe?" asked Tatsumi.

"It's also a shotgun." answered Qrow.

"What?!"

"You see, where I come from, no weapon is just what it appears to be. Most have guns or other secondary functions built into them. We need to get creative in order to fight the Grimm." explained Qrow as he settled into a stance. "Here I come." and with that Qrow dashed forward and swung around his scythe, Tatsumi barely managing to duck underneath the blade. Qrow continued to spin and followed up with a swipe aimed at Tatsumi's legs.

Tastsumi tried to jump over the blade, but Qrow caught him by the ankle. As the scythe hooked his leg, it sent Tatsumi spinning in the air and eventually falling on his head. As Tatsumi looked up he saw Qrow bringing the scythe down on top of him and just barely managed to roll backwards out of the way. He had no time to recover however as Qrow continued his combo with by twirling the scythe in his hands in order to turn it into something akin to a circular saw. Tatsumi brought his sword up to guard in an attempt to stop the spinning, but the scythe reached behind his guard and caught him behind the shoulder. Qrow then pulled the scythe towards him and Tatsumi with it before sticking out his foot to kick him. To someone without Aura the combined attack would have at the very least taken off their arm, but Tatsumi escaped with only a bruise.

"Come on kid, is that all you got?" Qrow asked as he spun his scythe in his hands with a bit of flourish.

"Hah, not even close." answered Tatsumi.

"Remember, we are trying to draw out your Aura. So do your best to draw upon your inner strength." Qrow said as he swung downwards at Tatsumi again.

Tatsumi, knowing how high he would have to guard now, raised his sword to block the scythe. But just before the two blades made contact, Qrow pulled the trigger again and the scythe reverted back to a sword. The shorter blade fell in front of Tatsumi's guard and Qrow then stabbed it forward, hitting the teen in the chest causing him to tumble backwards.

"You're getting good, but still not quite there." Qrow said as he sheathed his blade. "Why don't we call it a break and get some breakfast."

"No..." Tatsumi replied. "Once more..." he said as he got to his feet again. He was determined to draw out his Aura today.

"Your persistence is commendable, especially after you went a few rounds with Akame, but it's time to call it quits." spoke Qrow as he turned and headed inside.

"No! I have to do this!" shouted Tatsumi as he charged Qrow. He swung at the mans exposed back, but Qrow swiftly drew his sword and spun around to block. The two blades grinded against each other in a contest of strength.

"Give it a rest kid. You'll get the hang of your Aura some day. Just not today." Qrow said as he bashed his sword forward, knocking Tatsumi back and breaking his guard. Tatsumi quickly recovered before Qrow could follow up and unleashed a powerful overhead swing at the man.

"I can still go on!" shouted Tatsumi as Qrow dodged the strike.

"Hmm, it would seem so. Very well then. I shall stop holding back." Qrow said as he released a burst of killing intent. "This next strike will end it."

In a flash of movement Qrow was upon him and Tatsumi brought his sword up to block, but at the last moment Qrow spun around Tatsumi and slashed at his side. Tatsumi could see the strike coming and could tell it would be enough to break his Aura.

' _Damn it! Is this all I'm capable of?!'_ he shouted in his mind. _'Come on you stupid Aura, WORK!'_

Just before Qrow's blade made contact with Tatsumi, a bright flash of light erupted from him causing Qrow to back off. When the dust settled Tatsumi's Aura was glowing and he felt considerably stronger.

"Well, congratulations kid." Qrow said as he stabbed his sword in the ground and began to clap. "You did it."

Tatsumi looked at his glowing hands in awe as he took a moment to process what happened. "I... did it?" he asked before grinning. "I did it!" he cheered as he raised his fists skyward. Soon after his Aura receded and the glow was gone. "What happened?"

"Don't worry kid. Once you draw out the inner strength of your Aura you don't need it to glow for it to be active." explained Qrow as he took out his flask. "Otherwise you'd be glowing all the time, and that doesn't make for a stealthy assassin." he said as he took a sip from his flask. "So, how does it feel?"

"Amazing." answered Tatsumi. "I feel like I could do just about anything. Like I've got adrenaline constantly running through my veins. My body feels lighter but at the same time more sturdy."

"Get used to it. That is your power now."

"That's so cool Tatsumi!" shouted Ieyasu. "I can't wait to draw out my Aura as well."

"Now, seeing as how that's done, why don't we get some breakfast?" suggested Qrow once more.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Tatsumi said as his stomach grumbled.

Suddenly, Leone burst out of the doors leading from the base with a hectic look on her face. "Guys! Come quick!"

"What is the matter Leone?" asked Akame somewhat worried.

"Yeah, you look a little panicked." added Qrow.

"It's Sayo! She woke up!"

That was all that was needed to be said for the gang to get going, heading directly for the infirmary. When they got there they found Sayo lying in bed, her head elevated and looking out the window.

"Sayo!" shouted Tatsumi and Ieyasu in unison as they rushed over to the girls side and gave her a hug.

"Tatsumi! Ieyasu!" she said in surprise. "Oh, you have no idea how good it is to see you two again." she spoke as she returned their hugs.

"We could say the same thing to you!" said Tatsumi.

"Yeah, we were beginning to worry that you would never wake up!" added Ieyasu.

"Now, now, you two." started Qrow. "Give her some space, she's still recovering." he said as he made his way over to the side of her bed and took out his scroll.

Tatsumi and Ieyasu gave Sayo some space as Qrow scanned her body with his scroll.

"Hmm, you seem to be recovering well. Your Aura levels are stable, pulse and heart rate normal, no fever..." he listed off before returning the scroll to his pocket. "You're gonna be fine."

"Well that's god to hear." responded Sayo. "I can't thank you enough for saving me. Although I couldn't see your face, I remember your voice. You were the one who brought me here and helped me recover correct?"

"Eh, it was a joint effort." Qrow said as he gestured to Leone and Akame. "All I did was buy you some time. You'll have to thank our hosts for the rest."

"Oh, well then. In that case I thank you as well." Sayo said as she bowed her head slightly to Leone and Akame.

"Think nothing of it." Leone said with a casual wave.

"No problem." said Akame in her usual monotone.

"So, what happened after that... place?" asked Sayo, still somewhat traumatized.

"Well, we were taken in by these guys and their friends." Tatsumi explained as he pointed to Leone and Akame. "They're all part of a group called Night Raid. You've been unconscious for a few weeks and we've all been taking care of you since. You have to meet the rest of the group. Everyone here is fighting for the betterment of the empire. Me and Ieyasu actually decided to join them as well."

"And for good reason too. They are the good guys, unlike that bitch Aria and her family." added Ieyasu.

"Well, that's good." replied Sayo.

"We can save the rest of the explanations for later. Right now you should just lie back down and wait for us to bring you some food." spoke Qrow.

"Oh you needn't worry about me. I can get food for myself." Sayo said as she tried to sit up, but was pushed back down by Qrow.

"Try and be strong all you want, but I ain't letting a crippled patient push herself to the point of injury. You're still recovering." said Qrow.

"Crippled? What do you mean?" asked Sayo.

"Who wants to break the news to her?" asked Qrow.

Tatsumi stepped forward and gripped Sayo's shoulder. "You see, Sayo... your leg... it's..."

"What about my leg?" asked Sayo.

Tatsumi sent a look to Ieyasu and nodded. Ieyasu then grabbed the blanket covering Sayo and pulled it down. When she saw the stump that was her leg, she let out a blood curdling scream.

 **(-)**

A few hours had passed since Sayo had woken and she was still coming to terms with losing her leg. Sure she would be able to get a prosthetic courtesy of Night raid, but it was a part of her that was missing. A part of her very being that she would never get back. It would be a few days still before they could get her a new leg made in the capital so until then she was confined to the bed, requiring the help of others to do something as simple as getting up to go to the bathroom. Sheele took it upon herself to help her personally, which yielded mixed results. Her intents were good, but Sheele was just not suited for bed care. She would constantly trip over air and make a mess of the place. Though her antics did bring a smile to Sayo's face and she appreciated how much the purple haired woman cared and wanted to help.

Right now Tatsumi and Ieyasu were sparring with Qrow and Akame respectively while Sayo watched from a seat that Sheele had brought her. The glasses wearing woman stood beside Sayo, keeping her company as she intently watched the fights before her unfold.

According to what Qrow had explained to her; she, Ieyasu, and Tatsumi had been given a special gift of sorts courtesy of him that would make them stronger than the average human. All three of them had a part of their abilities unlocked, but only Tatsumi had reached the next stage. It was easily discernible that Tatsumi was stronger and faster then before as both he and Qrow moved at increased speeds, their swords clashing and whipping up small gusts of wind from the force.

"You're doing well Tatsumi." spoke Qrow as he swung at the teen. "You are quite the fast learner. My nieces being the only people I know who are faster."

"Thank you for the words of praise Qrow!" Tatsumi said as he parried the strike. "I couldn't do this well without such a great teacher!"

Meanwhile over with Akame and Ieyasu, Akame had felt a twang of jealousy when Tatsumi praised Qrow's teaching skills. She liked it better when he praised her.

"Hah!" Ieyasu cried as he slashed at Akame with his training swords.

The red eyed assassin was distracted to the point that she was nearly hit by Ieyasu's attack.

"Hey, Akame, are you alright?" asked Ieyasu. "You seem a little distracted. Is something on your mind?"

"Hmm, not sure. Just a little confused by something is all." answered Akame as she stole a quick glance at Tatsumi which was missed by Ieyasu.

"Huh, well if you say so."

The group was going to continue about their business, but were interrupted before they could resume sparring.

"Oi! Tatsumi!" came the voice of Mine. "The boss says that she wants me to train you now. So get your but in gear, we're headed for the capital."

"The capital?" Tatsumi asked as he quirked an eyebrow. "Why are we heading there?"

"Listen!" Mine shouted as she marched her way over to Tatsumi and jabbed him in the chest with her finger. "It's bad enough that I have to train a newbie like you, so don't go questioning my methods! You got it!?" Mine exclaimed as she turned and headed back into the base. "You have ten minuets to get your stuff together or else I'm leaving without you. I'll tell you why we're in the capital when we get there."

Tatsumi let out a long sigh. "Hahh, sorry Qrow. I guess this is where we call it a day." Tatsumi said as he slumped over.

"No problem kid. You have my condolences." Qrow said as he took out his flask. "You want a sip? It might make her that more bearable?" he asked as he shook his flask.

"As tempting of an offer that is, I don't think things wil end well if Mine finds out I was drunk for our mission." replied Tatsumi.

"Hmm, suit yourself." Qrow said as he took a drink of the concoction.

"Well... this is either going to be really good, or really bad." Tatsumi lamented as he headed back into the base.

 **(-)**

"Finally, I'm back in the capital." Tatsumi said as he took a good look at his surroundings. "But now that I get a good look at it, there sure are a lot of sad looking people here, huh?"

"Not surprising all things considered." said Mine. "They are after all, under the oppression of a reign of terror. Plus there's the recession." Mine pointed out as she walked ahead of Tatsumi. "And stop gawking! It makes you stand out and look suspicious. I brought you here to teach you how to blend in with crowds and look inconspicuous. Not to stick out like a sore thumb."

"You're right. Sorry." Tatsumi apologized as he scratched the back of his head. "So, is it really okay for us to be walking around the capital in broad daylight?"

"Sure." said Mine as she pointed to a series of wanted posters on a nearby wall. "The only ones with wanted posters are boss, Akame, Sheele, and Bulat. The rest of us are free to walk around the capital as we please."

"Speaking of Bulat, I don't see his wanted poster here." spoke Tatsumi.

"Oh it's there alright. The one in the middle." said Mine.

Tatsumi looked at the wanted poster in the middle which was a picture of a completely different looking person. His eyes widened in surprise. "What?! That's aniki?!"

"Yep. He has changed his appearance a little since leaving the military." answered Mine.

"A little?! He's a completely different person!"

"Yeah, I get it. Now shut up, you're making a scene and the whole point of coming here is to blend in!" Mine hissed as she grabbed Tatsumi by the arm. "Now that that's cleared up, we still have a mission to do."

"Right!" Tatsumi nodded. "That's the whole reason you brought me along right? Bring it on!" Tatsumi said as he clenched his fist.

"Alright! Let's start with an inspection of the cities condition." said Mine cheerfully.

"I don't know what this is about, but yeah! Let's do this!"

What Tatsumi assumed was going to be a serious mission, quickly devolved into hours of pure hell in what was only describable as being a date. The two of them got crepes, went shopping for clothes, and even went sightseeing. And of course, Tatsumi was forced to carry all of the bags. All the while Mine had a pleasant smile on her face. Tatsumi had to admit that despite her personality, she looked really cute when she was smiling.

Right now they had stopped for a break and gotten some parfait and tea. "Man, we sure did a lot of shopping." Mine said as she took a sip of her tea. "I knew pink would be in this season."

Sitting across from her was the pack mule- err, Tatsumi who looked surprisingly energized. His Aura was able to help keep him from getting exhausted and last longer than he normally would have been able to. "Sure thing." he grumbled.

"It sure is nice to let loose on your days off."

"Sure thing." Tatsumi grumbled again.

Mine took one last sip of her tea and finished her parfait before turning to Tatsumi. "Okay!" she said cheerfully with a bright smile. "Mission complete!"

That was the straw that broke the camels back. Tatsumi shot up and pointed at Mine. "This wasn't a mission! This was just a date!" he shouted.

"Date?!" Mine screeched as her face turned red. She then reached over and slapped Tatsumi across the face so hard that he fell to the ground. "Don't get ahead of yourself fool!" she shouted. "I am your better! For you to even suggest such a thing is grounds for punishment. As your superior you should be content in following my every order. In fact, you should be happy that I allowed you to carry my bags."

"You won't be my superior for long." Tatsumi rebutted. "Soon I will surpass you and you will be the underling!"

Mine then stepped on Tatsumi's back and ground her heel into him. "Oh yeah?" she asked with a sinister smile. "Don't underestimate the power of the one in charge newbie. How about I banish you to another manga like Corpse Party?!" **(1)**

"What?! Anything but that!" pleaded Tatsumi.

He then noticed a large congregation of people heading down the road. "Hey, what's going on over there?"Tatsumi asked.

"Probably the public execution of someone who defied the empire." Mine replied as the two of them followed the crowd. "It's a pretty common sight here in the capital."

"T-that's horrible." Tatsumi said as they finally got a look at the people being executed.

Several men and women were crucified in a populated thoroughfare, some of them missing limbs and some covered in burns or other wounds. They cried outin pain, begging for mercy as the crowd gawked at the whole display.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Tatsumi said as he covered his mouth.

"Keep it together newbie." Mine spoke. "Remember, people in the capital are used to this, so you can't stand out."

"I-I just don't understand how people can be so cruel..." Tatsumi said weakly.

"Because the minister says it's okay." answered Mine quietly, as her bangs fell over her eyes. "It was his underhanded tactics that won the current emperor his seat on the throne. But I... I won't end up like them." Mine said as she gazed at the victims. "I will definitely live, and see this fight to its end."

 **(-)**

Several hours later Night Raid was dispatched on a new mission. This time the target was a relative of the minister himself. A man named Iokal. He uses the ministers name to abduct girls from the capital and then beats them to death. His five bodyguards also share in his guilt and were targets as well. The entire group was dispatched for this priority one mission save for Ieyasu who stayed behind to care for Sayo.

Tatsumi whistled as he looked through his binoculars at the large mansion from a distance. "Damn. So that's where Iokal lives huh? It's swarming with guards."

"I can nail him easily from here." Mine said as she adjusted the dials on her scope. "Once he shows his ugly face I'll blow it right off."

"And I'll be here to back you up after you fire the first shot!" Tatsumi said as he gripped his sword. "Leave it to me!"

"Hmph, don't get your hopes up newbie." Mine said as she scoped out the mansions entrance.

' _Wow... she is super focused.'_ Tatsumi thought as he stared at Mine out of the corner of his eye.

"I've got eyes on target." Mine suddenly said.

"Alright, let me get eyes on the target." Tatsumi said as he brought up his binoculars. "Shit." he cursed when he saw all of the women that surrounded Iokal. "You can't attack now Mine. He's surrounded by innocents."

"So what?" she asked as she leaned into her rifle.

"What do you mean 'so what?' How are you gonna snipe him with all of those innocent bystanders?" asked Tatsumi.

"It doesn't matter." answered Mine.

"No way... You can't tell me you intend to kill the women too just to get him?"

Mine let out a breath and pulled the trigger. Pumpkin fired a single round that flew through the air and whizzed passed the women before striking Iokal dead center of his head.

"It doesn't matter... because I'm a genius sniper." Mine gloated as she rested Pumpkin on her shoulder. "Now let's head to the rendezvous point."

"Amazing..." uttered Tatsumi.

Meanwhile Iokal's bodyguards quickly dispatched into the woods to search for their bosses killer. "Find the assassins no matter what!" shouted the lead bodyguard. "If we fail, the minister will kill us himself!" However they came to a skidding stop when they happened upon the rest of Night Raid.

The five guards were met by six assassins with a bust blonde in the lead. "Hello there boys. How nice of you to drop on by." she said as she pounded her fists together. "Time for you to get wrecked."

 **Back with Tatsumi and Mine...**

"Ah geez." Mine huffed as she climbed over some roots. "This route sucks ass! Why do we have to take this path anyway?" she complained.

"Do you think the others took care of all our pursuers?" asked Tatsumi as he stayed close behind Mine.

"Those guards were trained at the Temple of the Imperial Fist. So the others may have a little trouble taking them out." Mine said as she ducked under a branch.

"The what?" asked Tatsumi.

"Urghh... Stupid country bumpkin." muttered Mine.

"Hey!"

"The Temple of the Imperial Fist is the best martial arts temple in the empire. It makes sense that if you're a relative of the minister that your bodyguard quality goes up." Mine said as Tatsumi helped her over a steep incline. "Doing whatever he wants by using his relatives name as influence. That's what pissed me off the most about him."

' _Has something like that happened in Mine's past? Just what kind of hardships has she gone through?'_ Tatsumi wondered in his mind.

"Well, since you've been such an obedient little boy today, as a special service I'll tell you a little about my past." Mine said as she took a deep breath.

' _How convenient.'_ thought Tatsumi.

"I was born on the nations western border." Mine revealed as her eyes gained a faraway look. "I'm actually half tribal. In my town I was mocked and ostracized. Nobody would accept me. It truly was a horrible childhood filled with misery. Many nights I would cry myself to sleep."

' _Mine...'_ Tatsumi thought as he gazed at Mine with saddened eyes.

"But you know... the Revolutionary Army is allied with the tribes to the west." Mine continued with clenched fists. "When we make our new nation, diplomatic relations will finally open. Many races will mingle, and no more kids will have to suffer like I did. Never again will I allow there to be any form of discrimination."

"Mine..." Tatsumi said as he saw Mine in a new light.

"And as someone who had so much to do with the revolution, I will be greatly rewarded and treated like a celebrity!" Mine exclaimed as she let out a loud laugh.

Tatsumi let out a slight sigh as he smiled. "That's just like you Mine."

"Hmm?" Mine mumbled as she turned to Tatsumi.

"Nothing." he said as he waved her off. "But... if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm all ears."

"Hoh, where is this coming from?" asked Mine. "You are awfully presumptuous for a newbie. To think that you could try to get on my good side. Hmph. Learn your place. I've already come to terms with my past. I don't need a shoulder to cry on. Or is it...? Don't tell me, do you have a crush on me and are trying to earn some affection points?" Mine asked as she giggled.

"What?!" Tatsumi exclaimed as he blushed. "No way! I was just trying to be friendly." Tatsumi said as he scratched his cheek. "Is that so wrong?"

Now Mine felt just a little bit bad for teasing him. "I guess not. It was pretty nice of you to offer." answered Mine as she continued forward.

Tatsumi smiled at Mine's reply. It was a step in the right direction.

"But don't mistake this kindness as me liking you. There is no way in hell I would like a newbie like you." she huffed.

' _One step forward, two steps back.'_ Tatsumi thought.

 **Meanwhile back with the others...**

A resounding crunch echoed through the woods as Leone smashed the face of the last bodyguard. His lifeless body flopping backwards on to the forest floor.

"Hahh~." Leone let out a content sigh as the group finished their assignment. "I feel so refreshed!" Leone cheered as she wiped the blood off her claws. "I had a lot of pent up aggression."

"They were pretty strong." commented Sheele as she slung her scissors over her back.

"Strange..." muttered Akame. "There should have been five." she said as she looked over the dead bodies.

"Man, I didn't get to kill anyone." whined Lubbock as his cheeks puffed out while he pouted.

"I guess that means that your reward gets halved huh?" spoke Leone.

"Ehh?!"

"Calm down Lubbock. You don't see Qrow complaining do you? If I recall, he didn't get a kill either." said Bulat.

"Speaking of which, where is he?" asked Sheele.

True to her word, Qrow was missing, and according to Akame, so was one of the bodyguards.

"What's the plan Akame?" asked Leone.

"We hurry back to the rendezvous point. One of the bodyguards must have slipped past us and I'm guessing Qrow is in pursuit. We should hurry to provide backup just in case." answered the red eyed assassin.

 **With Tatsumi and Mine...**

"I can see the rendezvous point from here!" said Tatsumi as the duo pushed through some bushes.

"I guess that mean mission accomplished." said Mine as they approached the large tree that marked the location.

"It's not mission accomplished until you give your report!" Tatsumi said with a grin.

"Heh, those are Akame's words aren't they?" Mine said with a small smile spread across her face. But Mine yelped when Tatsumi suddenly shoved her out of the way.

"Watch out!" Tatsumi shouted, but the second the words left his mouth a powerful blow hit him in the stomach.

"Tatsumi!" Mine exclaimed as she faced the new attacker. It was one of Iokal's bodyguards. Mine was about to take aim at the man with Pumpkin, but stopped when she noticed him cough up blood.

"Wha..." he uttered as he and Mine looked down at his chest to surprisingly enough see Tatsumi still standing there with his sword plunged in the mans side. The guard quickly jumped back, Tatsumi's blade pulling out in the process, and landed a few feet away. He placed his hands on top of the wound and applied pressure to try to stop the bleeding, but the damage was already done. "How?" he groaned out. "My attack should have sent you flying... So how were you able to withstand it? I know I hit you."

The answer came in the form of Tatsumi's body glowing briefly. "Sorry, but it will take more than that to do me harm." Tatsumi said as he rushed the injured guard.

The man tried to put up one last attempt at defense, but he was bleeding badly internally and that limited his movements. The young assassin used Aura enhanced movements to get behind the mans guard and plunged his blade into his side again. This time however the man swung his fist at Tatsumi which caused him to jump back out of reflex, leaving his sword buried in the mans side.

"You little brat... If I'm gonna die, then at the very least I'll take you with me as well!" he shouted as he ripped the blade out of his stomach and charged Tatsumi.

Tatsumi was unarmed, but with his enhanced speed and strength he was still more than a match for the mortally wounded guard. As the man approached, Tatsumi lowered his body and lunged forward. His short stature allowing him to get underneath the large mans grasp as he delivered a powerful punch to his chest, breaking several ribs in the process.

"And once more!" Tatsumi shouted as he readied another punch. His fist rocketed forward and struck the same place again. He could feel the mans innards rupture from the force as well as his broken ribs jab into various organs. Soon after the man fell to the ground dead from internal bleeding.

Mine slung Pumpkin over her shoulder again as Tatsumi recovered his weapon. "I must say newbie, I'm impressed. Not many would be able to pull off what you just did." she said in approval.

"Thanks. Although I was only able to do that because of my Aura." responded Tatsumi.

"Regardless, you did good. And..." Mine trailed off as she looked a bit flustered.

"And?"

"And... thanks for saving me." she said with a smile.

"No problem!" Tatsumi said as he gave Mine a thumbs up. "What are friends for anyway?" he then held out his fist to Mine.

"Yeah, we're friends." Mine said as she bumped fists with Tatsumi.

Meanwhile a red eyed crow watched the whole scene unfold from the treeline. _'Guess I had nothing to worry about after all. Kid's got good control over his Aura.'_

 **(1)- A reference to a joke made in the manga.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N- So it's been a while since I last updated. Chalk it up to writers block.**

 **This chapter is shorter than the rest and I might go back and revise it at some point, but I really wanted to get the story moving again.**

 **I hope you like it. Be sure to leave a review.**

 **As a side note; After much consideration I have decided NOT to pair Leone with Qrow. The more I think about it, the more they seem like they would just be drinking buddies.**

 **Also, seeing as how Qrow's weapon is still unnamed as of this chapter, I have decided to refer to it as Thanatos from here on out.**

 **Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!**

 **(-)**

It was early in the morning and Tatsumi was training with Akame again. However, since mastering his Aura he has had a much easier time keeping up with the assassin. She still had experience as her advantage, but soon Tatsumi would give her a run for her money.

Meanwhile, Qrow had begun training Sayo who now had her prosthetic leg. Her choice of weapon had been a bow. However, seeing as how she would need to be more versatile when it comes to combat, Qrow made a few adjustments to it. The ends of the bow now had blades attached so it could be used as a close quarters weapon. It would take her some time, but eventually she would be able to seamlessly transition from long to close range combat with Qrow's help.

That being said, she and Ieyasu were currently getting their asses handed to them by the experienced Huntsman. Sayo was showing good progress in adapting to her new leg and Ieyasu was making headway in his Aura training.

Standing off to the side, observing the two groups, were two of the other Night Raid assassins. Mine and Sheele.

Sheele was there because she was watching after Sayo, and Mine was there at Qrow's request. Apparently he wanted her for something.

The two groups stopped their sparring as it was nearing breakfast time.

"Well done Tatsumi. You are improving by leaps and bounds." praised Akame.

"Gee thanks." he said as he shot her a thumbs up and a toothy smile.

Akame felt her chest clench up again at Tatsumi's smiling face. _'There's that feeling again.'_ she thought. Every time she was around Tatsumi she would feel elated and couldn't help but blush.

Akame was broken from her musings when she heard Qrow approach.

"You're doing good kid." Qrow said as he patted Tatsumi on the back.

"Hey! What about us?!" shouted Ieyasu.

"To a lesser degree, yes."

"Grr! I'll land a hit on you one of these days!" Ieyasu boasted as he pointed a sword at Qrow.

"I'll look forward to it." Qrow said as he took out his flask.

"Hey Qrow!" yelled Mine. "How come you wanted me here?"

"Oh, almost forgot about you."

"What?!"

"Cool your engines pinky. I was just kidding."

"Pinky?!"

"Anyway, I wanted you here so I could unlock your Aura." Qrow said as he took a swig from his flask.

"Really?" Mine's eyes lit up.

"Yep. I feel like it's time to start bolstering our strength and you're the next weakest member." responded Qrow.

"Next weakest?!" screamed Mine. "I'll have you know that I'm a genius sniper!"

"Yes. And besides that, what else have you got going for yourself?" asked Qrow.

"Well..." Mine trailed off in thought.

"Nothing. You always take on the sniper role, far away from the danger. But when the danger comes to you you're screwed. That's why you always have someone guarding you." explained Qrow. "Hence the reason why I'm going to unlock your Aura."

"I still don't like the reasoning behind it." pouted Mine.

"Whatever. Tatsumi. Get over here." called Qrow.

"Yeah?" Tatsumi said as he walked over to Mine and Qrow.

"You're gonna be the one to unlock her Aura. This will be good practice for you." spoke Qrow.

"Okay. But how do I do that?"

"Place your hand on her head." Qrow instructed.

With Mine's permission, Tatsumi placed his hand on her head.

"Now, to unlock ones Aura you need to reach into the other person and give their's a sort of jump start. The aria that goes with it is to help focus the energy and draw it out. Repeat after me and as you do I want you to reach into Mine's soul and pull it outwards; For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of glory and virtue to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee."

Tatsumi focused himself and repeated the aria. "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality." he could feel his energy enter Mine's body as he began to glow. "Through this, we become a paragon of glory and virtue to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death." he could feel her soul, he could see her soul. Tatsumi reached out and touched it. "I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee." and with that Mine began to faintly glow pink as her Aura was activated.

Tatsumi fell to one knee as soon as he was finished. "Hahh, feeling kind of drained."

"That'll happen your first time. Takes some getting used to." explained Qrow. He then turned his attention to Mine. "Well then, congratulations. Your Aura is now unlocked."

"This... is Aura?" asked Mine. "It feels so... warm." she said as she clenched her fists.

"Yep. Now, why don't we get some breakfast?"

 **(-)**

"We have a new target." Najenda said as she sunk into her chair and lit up a cigarette. "This time, the target is the rumored serial killer that has been terrorizing the capital. Late at night he suddenly appears, and chops off his victims heads. It's unknown how many dozens of people he's killed by now."

"And 3 of those he's killed were part of the Imperial guard. He's gotta be strong to do that." added Tatsumi.

"There's no mistake. It has to be Zank the Executioner." Lubbock said.

"And just who would that be?" asked Qrow.

"Yeah. I've never heard of him." said Tatsumi. His friends nodded in agreement.

"Geez. You guys really are grade-A country bumpkins." Mine said as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Hey!"

"Umm, I don't know who he is either." spoke Sheele.

"You probably just forgot." said Mine.

"So, what kind of monster are we hunting?" asked Qrow.

"Zank the Executioner." started Mine. "He originally worked at the Empire's greatest prison. As their executioner. Because of the minister... there was never a shortage of inmates to execute. All day... every day... over and over... They say he beheaded all these people that were begging and pleading for their lives. After years of that... beheading came as natural to him as breathing."

"Holy crap..." Ieyasu breathed out. A sudden chill running down his spine.

"So the guys got a few screws loose. Seems like that's only natural with that kind of job." spoke Qrow.

"So... beheading for the jail didn't satisfy his bloodlust anymore, so it seems he took to the streets as a serial killer." explained Mine.

"As soon as a team was dispatched to find him, he seemingly disappeared." Bulat chimed in. "But... I never imagined he'd show up in the capital."

"What a horrible guy!" shouted Tatsumi with clenched fists. "We need to find him and beat his ass!"

"Hold your horses Tatsumi." Bulat said as he put a hand on the eager assassins head. "Zank stole a teigu that belonged to the prison head. And now he's loose on the streets with it." Bulat then cupped Tatsumi's chin and raised his face to look him in the eyes. "We need to work in groups of at least two... or we could be in danger."

' _I feel like I'm in danger right now for a whole different reason!'_ Tatsumi thought as he saw the glimmer in Bulat's eyes. "Uh... I got it aniki. We need to work in groups."

"The groups will be as follows; Tatsumi and Akame, Lubbock and Sayo, Sheele and Mine, Bulat and Ieyasu, and Leone and Qrow. Now get to hunting!" shouted the boss.

 **(-)**

Qrow and Leone were walking the streets at night, avoiding any military patrols as they searched for Zank.

"So, any idea what teigu Zank has?" Qrow asked as he pulled out his book on teigu.

"Nope." responded Leone. "The prison kept the teigu under wraps so no one knows just what it is. But regardless of what the teigu is, it means Zank must not be underestimated."

"You don't need to tell me twice."

"I mean it Qrow." spoke Leone seriously. "Do you know what they say happens as a result of two teigu users coming to blows against each other? A battle where both are fighting with intent to kill? It is guaranteed that one of them would die. I don't care if you have the advantage of Aura on your side. Zank is not someone to be taken lightly."

"I get it 'mom'." griped Qrow.

"Hey! Don't you call me that." growled Leone.

"Whatever. I got to take a piss." Qrow said as he walked down an alley.

"Make it quick. You never know when Zank might strike."

Qrow made his way down the alley until he was out of sight. He leaned his sword up against a wall and went about his business. However, just as he finished and grabbed his sword, he saw a flash of white in the corner of his eye. He turned to face it and what he saw made his heart stop.

"Summer..."

The woman giggled lightly before taking off further into the alley.

"Summer!" Qrow shouted as he ran after the woman. He chased her through several alleys until they ended up at a large plaza.

The woman stopped and turned around. It was a face that Qrow recognized instantly. Round features, short stature, pale skin, silver eyes, black hair that was tipped red, and the white hooded cape that shrouded her body. It was Summer Rose.

"Summer. What are you doing here?" asked Qrow.

Summer giggled in response. "Oh Qrow. How nice it is to see you again. I thought I would never see anyone I knew from Remnant again."

"But... I thought you were dead?"

"They never did find the body, did they? I somehow ended up here. Just like you." Summer explained as she approached Qrow.

"Is it really you?" Qrow asked as he reached out a hand to caress Summer's cheek.

"Of course it is silly. The leader of team STRQ in the living flesh."

Qrow choked back a sob. "It's been so long. I've missed you. Your family's missed you."

"I know." Summer said as she reached her arms around Qrow and hugged him. "I missed you too. I'm so happy to be able to see you again."

Suddenly Qrow sensed immense killing intent and jumped backwards out of Summer's grasp. Just in time too, as two arms blades extended from Summer's wrists and slashed at him.

"Oh~ What a tearful reunion." mocked a voice. "I could barely contain my laughter."

Qrow snarled in rage as the image of Summer warped into something else. A large man with an eye-like thing attached to his head.

"Who the fuck are you?!" barked Qrow.

"Why, I go by the name Zank. Zank the Executioner." answered the man.

"Hmpf, of course you are." Qrow said as he drew his sword.

"I must say, you have quite the mind." spoke Zank. "If I wasn't already insane I wouldn't even believe it. To think that there is an entirely different world out there besides our own. And such an interesting one too. I would absolutely love to chop off the head of an other-worlder. Would you be so kind as to forfeit your life for that?"

"Like hell I will!" roared Qrow. "You tricked me. I should have known that Summer was gone. No matter how much I wished it wasn't so." Qrow spoke melancholic. "But you just had to go and dishonor her name by using an illusion!" Qrow shouted as he leveled his blade at Zank.

"Oh. Are you angry? Please tell me you're angry. It brings me such joy to know how effective my teigu is." Zank said with a mad smile.

"I take it that you're referring to that eye thing?"

"Yep!" responded Zank. "This is the teigu 'Spected'. It allows me a multitude of abilities. All of which will bring about your demise!" Zank shouted as he charged Qrow.

Qrow charged the mad man as well and the two clashed blades. Qrow swung outward to deflect Zank's arm blades and followed up with another slash. However Zank saw the attack coming and easily dodged it.

"Hah! I can see your attacks coming a mile away!" shouted Zank as he stabbed one blade forward at Qrow's head.

Qrow tilted his head to the side to avoid the strike. He then responded with an attack of his own. He swung his blade downward and prepared to change it into scythe mode to catch Zank off-guard. But much to Qrow's surprise, Zank brought his blades up and blocked his scythe attack as he switched.

"What?!" shouted Qrow.

Zank then uncrossed his blades and slashed at Qrow's chest. Qrow backstepped to dodge, but the blades just nicked his Aura as he went backwards.

"I bet you're wondering how I knew your sword would become a scythe." spoke Zank. "You see, one of the abilities of my teigu is insight. It allows me to see into my opponents minds. It's how I know you're not from around here. I wonder if you'll bleed the same as everyone else?"

"Damnit!" cursed Qrow as he closed his eyes. _'Got to clear my mind. Don't think, just attack.'_

Qrow opened his eyes and they were focused solely on Zank.

"Oh? I see you've cleared your mind of errant thoughts. How delightful~."

Qrow charged and swung at Zank. His blade just barely missed the man as he dodged to the side.

"But still not enough to beat me!"

Zank slashed at Qrow's side and struck his Aura again. Qrow staggered back from the attack.

"I can see every move you make! Every single movement has a preparatory movement. I can see the subtle movements of your muscles. Nothing escapes my sight! I can see every move you make before you do!"

"Heh." chuckled Qrow.

"What's so funny?" asked Zank.

"You say that you can predict all of my moves. Well how about you predict something even I can't predict!" shouted Qrow as he charged Zank.

The two collided in an exchange of blows. Zank would strike at Qrow, but his attacks would be blocked by his Aura. And Qrow would strike at Zank, leaving small nicks on the mans body. Their blades clashed and sparks flew as the duo continued their dance of death. A cacophony of swords clanging against each other.

' _What is this guy thinking?!'_ thought Zank. _'He's just attacking recklessly.'_

Their blades grinded against each other as the two exerted pressure on the other. Neither willing to back down. Then they split apart. Both combatants breathing heavily from the drawn out battle.

The plaza that they were fighting in now had several scars where blades met with ground as well as small craters courtesy of Qrow's Aura enhanced strength.

"Hah, you truly are the most amazing opponent I've faced so far!" laughed Zank. "But it will end the same way as it always does. With my victory!" Zank shouted as he swung his arms outward an slowly approached Qrow. "And now you've gone and lost your head~. A foolish criminal who wound up dead~. You wore your sins on your sleeve like some kind of prize~. Too many lies, too many lies~." he sang.

"Fucking mad man." grimaced Qrow.

"Tell me Qrow, do you hear the voices too?" asked Zank.

"Voices?"

"The voices of those you've killed. How do you deal with them? I know you hear them. The shrill screams that come to you when all is quiet. They keep calling out to me. Deep down from the darkest pits of HELL!"

"... I hear no voices." answered Qrow.

"Hmm?"

"I said I hear no voices. I have no idea what the hell you are going on about."

"Tch, and here I thought we might have something in common. But it turns out that you're just like the rest. Deaf to the voices of the dead." Zank then grinned wickedly. "Not even to those of that Summer woman~."

Qrow snapped and charged Zank. "That was not my fault!"

"Oh, but it was. You blame yourself for her death each and every day of your life. If only you had gone with her. If only your team hadn't disbanded. If only you had told her how you feel-"

"SHUT UP!" roared Qrow as the two clashed.

"You take care of Ruby, pretending that she's your niece when you'd rather her be your daughter." taunted Zank.

The two resumed their fight. Zank having the upper hand over Qrow who was losing himself to his emotions. The only reason he wasn't dead was because of his Aura.

"I WILL KILL YOU!"

"Not on your life!" shouted Zank as he stepped forward to stab at Qrow. However the stone underneath his feet gave way and he slipped. "What?!"

"There!" shouted Qrow as he brought his scythe down on Zank and slashed him across the chest.

Blood spilled out everywhere. The deep gash in Zank's chest was something he wouldn't be coming back from.

"Kuh!" Zank coughed as he fell to the ground. "H-how?"

"My Semblance, for what it's worth, is bad luck. Something that even I can't predict. I just needed to wait until you were affected by it." Qrow said as he caught his breath. He walked over to Zank's downed body and transformed his scythe back into a sword. The blade folded down to reveal the shotgun barrel. He aimed it at Zank's face. "Tell me, did you see this coming?" asked Qrow.

"Heh, heh, heh... nope."

Qrow pulled the trigger.

A staccato boom echoed out.

Zank was dead.

Qrow grabbed the teigu from Zank's corpse and prepared to head back to where Leone was.

"Qrow!"

Then again, she might just come to him.

"Leone." Qrow greeted the blonde who rushed over. Upon seeing Zank's corpse she looked at Qrow.

"Is he?"

"Yep." spoke Qrow as he pulled out his flask.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N- Feeling extra motivated and managed to churn out another chapter. (Let's hope this motivation lasts)**

 **I hope you like this chapter.**

 **Anyway you know the deal. Leave a review and such. It helps to point out any continuity errors and such.**

 **I might revise this chapter later.**

 **Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!**

 **(-)**

It had been a week since the fight against Zank and Night Raid was going about their usual business. Tatsumi, Sayo, and Ieyasu were being trained by Qrow, Akame, and Mine. And the rest of the gang was busying themselves with other assignments.

Currently it was early in the morning and Najenda was having a small meeting with some of the Night Raid members.

"So, how are the new recruits faring?" the boss asked.

"Tatsumi is improving greatly thanks to his Aura and Ieyasu is not far behind." answered Akame.

"Yeah. The kid unlocked its full potential the other day. So now he's starting to catch up." added Qrow.

"And Sayo?"

"The girl is good with a bow. I'll give her that." started Mine. "However I feel that we should delegate her to more of a reconnaissance position. She was very good at scouting and gathering information during our trip to the capital. She can put up a fight when necessary, but her strengths lie elsewhere."

"Hmm, I see. What do you guys think?" the boss asked the others.

"I agree." spoke Qrow. "The girl blends in well and looks inconspicuous. She can keep an ear to the streets and see what's happening."

"Partner with Ieyasu." added Akame.

"Ah yes. I hear he is doing well in combat."

"The two of them are already close friends. It would make sense to have them partner up. Their teamwork is good and they can cover each others weaknesses." Qrow said.

"Very well. Sayo shall be assigned to our spy network and Ieyasu shall be her guard." spoke the boss. "Anything else that needs to be discussed?"

"Well... Tatsumi is starting training with Sheele today." informed Lubbock.

"God have mercy on his soul." spoke Mine.

"She can't be that bad." said Qrow.

"Oh you'd be surprised."

"Other than that, Ieyasu and Sayo will continue with their regular schedules. And Mine will join in on Qrow's Aura lessons." said Najenda as she took out a cigarette. "Dismissed."

The group began to disperse.

"Qrow. A moment of your time." called out the boss.

Qrow stopped in his tracks and turned around. "You need something?"

"Yes. I'd like to speak with you in private."

Qrow approached Najenda and once the room was empty she spoke again.

"So, you say that you have experience working undercover, correct?"

"That's correct." answered Qrow.

"You've worked as a spy, serving other organizations as a double agent?"

"Yes. What are you getting at?"

"I have a very important assignment for you." spoke Najeda as she took a drag from her cigarette.

 **(-)**

Tatsumi woke up feeling well rested. He let out a yawn and stretched his limbs in preparation for the days activities.

"Mmm, Tatsumi..."

Hearing his name, Tatsumi turned to see Sheele sleeping at his bedside. She was sitting in a chair with her head resting on his bed.

"Huh?" Tatsumi uttered as he stared at Sheele.

"Looks like you'll be training with me today Tatsumi..." Sheele muttered in her sleep. Tatsumi didn't miss the blush that spread across her face. "I can't wait to work with you..."

' _Man, she really is an airhead.'_ Tatsumi thought with a small smile as he reached out and poked Sheele in the cheek. The purple haired woman yawned cutely and sat up. "Morning Sheele."

"Good morning Tatsumi." Sheele greeted as she took off her glasses and wiped the sleep out of her eyes. "Wait... Why am I here again?"

"Don't ask me." Tatsumi deadpanned.

"Oh yeah! I'm training you today." the woman said as she suddenly remembered.

"Well okay then. Do you have anything in particular planned?" asked Tatsumi.

"Hmm..." Sheele hummed as she pursed her lips. "No, not really. But I'll come up with something as we go."

 **(-)**

"GAH!" Tatsumi grunted as he pulled himself out of the raging river. The young man was dressed in heavy armor from the neck down. He was panting heavily and soaking wet. Tatsumi practically collapsed on the riverbed in exhaustion. "Fuck... me!"

"You did a great job swimming in that armor Tatsumi!" Sheele called out as she sat on a nearby rock.

"So... heavy!... That was so... hard..." he said between breaths as he got back up on his feet. "What was the point of swimming across the river in this heavy ass armor?"

"I... don't remember." Sheele said as she scratched the back of her head in embarrassment.

"Of course you don't." Tatsumi said as he hung his head.

"But this is a part of the curriculum for assassin training." Sheele spoke as she adjusted her glasses. "Since I don't have any duties at the hideout, I can focus all my attention on helping you."

"Why don't you have any duties?" Tatsumi asked as he quirked a brow.

"Well..." Sheele muttered as she pressed her index fingers together. "When I tried to help cook I burnt the food and got Akame angry. While cleaning, I made an even bigger mess and caused trouble for Bulat. Then when I went on a shopping errand I mixed up sugar and salt, and Leone laughed at me. She still teases me about it. When I tried to help Lubbock set up traps around the base I got caught in most of them. And one time when I was doing laundry I accidentally threw Mine in with it."

"How do you accidentally throw a person in with the wash?" Tatsumi asked dryly. "By the way Sheele. There's something I've been wondering for a while now."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"Back when I first met you all, I don't remember seeing you with the return party. Why was that?" asked Tatsumi.

"Oh that..." Sheele said as she nervously rubbed her arm. "I'm sorry... but I'm too embarrassed to tell you."

When Sheele apologized she bowed. And when she did her glasses fell off. "Oh no! My glasses! Where are they?" Sheele bent over as she frantically searched for her glasses.

' _Oh my god...'_ Tatsumi blushed fiercely as Sheele gave him a generous view of her cleavage. Quickly shaking his head of impure thoughts, Tatsumi picked up the glasses and gave them to Sheele. "Here."

"Ah, thank you Tatsumi." Sheele said as she put her glasses back on. "I'm practically blind without these."

"Hey Sheele. I promise I won't laugh if you tell me why you weren't with the return team." Tatsumi said as he sat down next to Sheele.

"You promise?" Sheele asked, to which Tatsumi nodded his head. "Hahh, my target was the mother of the family. I managed to kill her... but... well... I kinda got a little lost."

"You... got lost?" Tatsumi asked as he tried to stop himself from giggling.

"Yeah. The house was so big... and there were so many rooms. I just kept getting turned around... By the time I got out you were all gone and I had to head back on my own."

That did it. Tatsumi couldn't hold back anymore and started laughing.

"Hey! You said you wouldn't laugh!" pouted Sheele.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry!" Tatsumi apologized between bouts of laughter. "But you're just too adorable!"

"W-what?!" Sheele squeaked as her face flushed red.

"It's really cute. You're just so innocent and sweet." he said as he wiped away his tears.

"Uh... I'll take that as a compliment I guess." Sheele said as she suppressed a blush.

"So, how did you end up in this line of work Sheele?" Tatsumi asked once he finished laughing. "Because you don't seem like the type of person for this kind of job."

"Hmm, I guess I should start from the beginning..." Sheele said, adjusting her glasses. "I was born in the capitals downtown district. It's where I grew up. Since I was young, no matter what I did I was clumsy. I couldn't do anything right. For me, there was nothing I could be proud of. People would often insult me by saying that I had a screw loose in my head. However... There was one person who still wanted to be friends with me even knowing how I was."

"No matter how clumsy I was, she would never call me stupid or insult me. The time I spent with her was the only thing I could say I liked about my life... Until that day." Sheele said somberly. "When I was visiting her an angry man arrived at the door. It was her ex-boyfriend. He resented getting dumped by her, and began getting violent. And then, right in front of me, he grabbed her by the throat and started choking her. At that time 'I must save her' was all I could think. My body moved on its own. I grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed him in the neck. Right in the jugular. He was dead in seconds."

"But the most disturbing thing about the whole ordeal was that I was surprisingly calm about it. It just felt natural to me. The incident was ruled as an act of self-defense, but my friend never wanted to see me again. And then, not long after, while I was walking through the city, a group of men approached me. Apparently the man I killed had been a part of a gang and they wanted revenge. 'We've already killed your parents. Now it's your turn.' they said. As they spoke to me, my mind became clear again. Dodging the first mans clumsy attack, I used the knife i kept for self-defense to strike a vital spot. After that, I used his body as a shield whilst I killed the rest of his comrades."

"After I finally killed them all, I came to a realization. There actually was a screw loose in my mind. And it made me a very talented killer. I could get rid of society's trash. 'This is the one thing I could do and not be considered useless at' is what I thought. Not long after that I was scouted by the revolutionary army to carry out assassinations in the capital. And that's pretty much it."

"So that's why you came up with this assassination training curriculum." Tatsumi said, earning a nod from Sheele. "I'm sorry for all that you had to go through. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you growing up."

"Oh there's no need for you to apologize Tatsumi." Shele said as she waved dismissively. "Sure, I had a rough time when I was younger, and becoming an assassin didn't come as naturally to me as it did to you. But I'm truly happy now." Sheele said as she smiled brightly. "I love everyone in Night Raid. You're all like a family to me, and I'm happy to have you all in my life."

 **(-)**

"Alright everyone. It's been a week since we acquired the new teigu from Zank, so it's about time we figure out who we're gonna give it to." Najenda informed the gathered assassins. "Who wants to be first to test it?"

Tatsumi raised his hand. "I'll do it!"

"Nice enthusiasm Tatsumi. You can go first. But remember, teigu require both physical and mental strength to use, as well as compatibility. We're right now testing to see if any of you can use it." Najenda said as she referred to Tatsumi, Sayo, Ieyasu, and Qrow.

Tatsumi took the teigu from Najenda and gazed at it in his hands. He thought the thing looked kind of weird.

"We have no info on this teigu as it is not in the book. So tell us what it can do."

"Zank said it had a multitude of abilities. Such as reading minds and body movement." spoke Qrow. "... He was also able to cast an illusion."

"Okay. I'll try the mind reading." Tatsumi said as he attached the teigu to his head.

"Read my mind." spoke Akame.

"Hmm... you're hungry."

"Amazing!" said Akame.

"No! It still hasn't activated." shouted Leone.

Tatsumi sat cross legged on the ground and closed his eyes. He then began to focus. "Activate." he said as he opened his eyes. The sight that greeted him was something that most men would kill for. There, standing in front of him, were Mine, Akame, and Sheele in their underwear. A fierce blush made its way across his face as he ogled the girls bodies.

"Is it working?" Mine asked as she leaned in closer. She then quirked a brow when Tatsumi recoiled away from her. "What's up with you?"

' _What an amazing power!'_ Tatsumi thought as he drank in the erotic images before him. _'Teigu are fucking awesome!'_

"You're acting kind of strange Tatsumi." came Leone's voice. Tatsumi turned around and, much to his surprise, he got a full view of Leone in all her nude glory. Apparently because she was already barely wearing anything, the teigu saw right through her underwear. Tatsumi got a killer view of Leone's humongous exposed breasts. As his eyes drifted south he also got a look at her womanhood.

' _No hair!'_

Suddenly Tatsumi began to sway groggily and feel tired. "Urgh, I feel sick."

"Shit! It's rejecting him! Take it off!" shouted Najenda.

Tatsumi grabbed the teigu and pulled it off his head. "Damn! That was close! What went wrong?"

"The teigu wasn't compatible with you." informed Najenda.

"The users first impression is very important you know." spoke Mine. "I bet you thought it looked weird or something."

"Well then, who's next?" asked Najenda.

Sayo stepped forward and took the teigu from Tatsumi's hands. After placing it on her head she closed her eyes. "Activate."

Seconds passed of Sayo just standing there silently, before she walked over to Tatsumi and smacked him across the face. "Pervert!" she shouted.

"What was that for?!" yelled Tatsumi.

"Yeah Sayo. Why'd you hit him?" asked Leone.

"This thing has x-ray vision! He was staring at us in our underwear! Except for you Leone! I can see you naked!"

"What?!" the girls shrieked, save for Akame who simply blushed.

"Give it to me!" shouted Lubbock as he charged Sayo.

"Oh no you don't!" said Leone as she grabbed the pervert.

Then the girls turned their ire towards Tatsumi. "Eh, heh, heh... It wasn't my intention." he tried.

After Tatsumi was unfairly punished and Qrow and Ieyasu tried the teigu on, it was revealed that Sayo was the one it was compatible with. So the teigu went to her.

"We do assassinations as our primary objective. But we also collect teigu for the revolutionary army as a side objective." explained the boss as she leaned forward in her chair.

"In the event that an enemy possesses one, we most confiscate or outright destroy it." added Akame.

"Here." Najenda said as she pulled out a book and tossed it to Tatsumi. "I want you, Sayo, and Ieyasu to read that book. You should learn as much as you can about teigu's."

"Wow... there's so many different ones." marveled Tatsumi as he flipped through the pages with Sayo and Ieyasu looking over his shoulder. "Here's Pumpkin... There's Murasame... oh, and that's Lionel."

"You should at the very least have that book memorized." Najenda said as she lit a cigarrette.

"How come Qrow doesn't have to?" asked Ieyasu.

"Because I already did." answered said man.

"Boss... In your opinion, what's the strongest teigu?" Tatsumi asked, which caused Najenda to let out a heavy sigh.

"It all depends on the user and compatibility, but..." Najenda said, clenching her teeth slightly. Releasing a shaky breath, she locked eyes with Tatsumi. "The ice manipulation teigu..." she said as her hand reached for her eye-patch. "Luckily for us, its user is currently preoccupied with conquering the northern tribes."

"Because the people of the north are very strong, they even have their own hero." chimed in Lubbock.

"Oh! Even I know about him." Tatsumi said in a flash of remembrance.

"Yeah. The hero of the north. Numa Seika." spoke Sayo.

"Prince of the northern tribes. With spear in his hand, he's never lost a battle." added Ieyasu.

"That's right. He's a brilliant tactical genius who the northern tribes have absolute faith in. He is currently the Empire's greatest threat." spoke Najenda. "His powerful army uses the county's most fortified city as a base of operations. They've even become strong enough to invade the Empire." she then took a drag from her cigarette. "Therefor, in order to keep that from happening the Empire dispatched an expeditionary force to subjugated the northern tribes."

"But there's no reason to worry just yet. Even with that woman, it'll take at least a year if not more for them to take the north." Lubbock chimed in.

"... Yeah." responded Najenda.

"To be so optimistic is quite foolish of you." spoke Qrow.

"What?!" shouted Lubbock.

"Hope for the best, plan for the worst. Think worst case scenario. What if it only takes them half a month to conquer the north? What if it takes less? Your positive attitude is commendable, but it will only screw you over in the long run. I say we prepare for them to return at any given time."

"That's nonsense." Leone said as she waved off Qrow. "I know you're not from around here, but Numa Seika is a legend. There is no way that they'll be back within a year."

"Hmpf." grunted Qrow as he took out his flask. "I've given you my two cents. Do with it what you will." he then left as he took a swig from his flask.

Najenda eyed the man carefully as he left. Somewhere deep inside she knew what he was saying was true.

 **(-)**

The sun rose the next day as it always did. Illuminating the world and chasing away the darkness.

Qrow was not a particularly early riser, but his job demanded him to be. If it was up to him he would sleep till noon, but today he had work to do.

So, after quickly dressing himself and washing his face, the Huntsman headed out to the training grounds to meet with the others.

When Qrow arrived, he noticed that Akame was already there. She would always be the first to arrive. And as it turned out, Leone was waiting as well.

"Hey Leone." greeted Qrow. "What brings you here?"

Leone shrugged her shoulders. "Just thought I'd sit in on one of your training sessions."

"Well you're more than welcome to." responded Qrow. "The others should be here soon."

The trio waited in silence for a few moments before Akame broke it.

"Umm... guys? Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure Akame. What is it?" spoke Leone.

"I... have been feeling strange recently." Akame said.

"Strange how?" asked Qrow.

"Strange in my stomach."

"Are you feeling sick?"

"No. Not like that."

"Are you feeling hungry?"

"I know what hunger is and it's not that."

"Well then what is it?"

"I... feel like something is crawling around in my stomach, or something." Akame said as she touched her belly.

"What do you mean?" asked Leone.

"It's a strange feeling that I can't quite describe."

"Well when does it happen?" inquired Qrow.

"Whenever I'm around Tatsumi."

Leone shot Qrow a knowing look and he responded with one of his own.

"Whenever I'm around him I feel elated. I can feel my stomach turn and my face heat up. Whenever I'm away from him I feel down and long to see him again. Do you two know what this might be?"

"Sounds like an open and close case to me." said Qrow as he pulled out his flask.

"Yep." responded Leone as she threw an arm around Akame's shoulder. "Akame my dear friend, it sounds like you are in love with Tatsumi."

The dark haired girls face flushed red. "W-what?!"

"I agree with Leone here. Those are all the signs of love sickness." chuckled Qrow.

"M-me? In love with Tatsumi? But that's..."

"What? Impossible? Weird? Immoral?" asked Leone as she leaned her face closer and closer to Akame's. A wide grin plastered on it.

"I-I... I just... He's just my student." responded Akame.

"And? So what?" asked Qrow. "You're at that age. It's only natural to fall in love. I remember when I was young as well." Qrow said as he raised his flask to his lips.

Akame fidgeted in place under the combined teasing of Qrow and Leone.

"What about you Qrow? Have you ever fallen in love? When you were younger?" asked Leone.

Qrow stopped the flask just before his lips and paused.

"Qrow?"

"... Yes." Qrow said before taking a swig from his flask. He downed as much of its contents as he could in a single breath. "Yes I have."

"And what happened?" asked Akame.

"... Let's just say that it didn't work out." Qrow said somberly, in such a way that the mood went south.

The girls, getting the hint, decided not to pry right now. But there was still the awkward atmosphere.

"So... How did you end up in this line of work?" Leone asked. "You said you were a teacher at a combat school. How did you end up in espionage?"

"Hmm, how does anyone end up in anything? You do it once and find out you have a talent for it. I owed my headmaster a favor and my particular skills were put to good use." Qrow said tiredly. "... Listen. What I say next stays between you and me, got it?"

The two girls nodded in agreement.

"I'm... from a tribe of bandits. We roam the lands taking what we can from settlements to far out to be helped. And our tribe has a sort of 'coming of age' ritual. When we turn 17 we are cast out from the tribe and must learn to live on our own, blend in with society to heighten our skills. As such we are naturals when it comes to spying. Me and my sister decided to join a combat school in order to blend in. The job was simple, learn the skills they could teach us and then return to the tribe with them when the time came. However not everything goes as according to plan." Qrow said as he looked off into the distance.

"We live, we learn, we love. We lived a life that was much more peaceful then the tribe ever was. We learned how much our tribe was hurting others, even though we already had trouble with other things such as the Grimm. And we came to love others. My sister fell in love with one of our teammates."

"And you?" asked Akame.

"... I think that's enough talking for now. Here come the kiddies." Qrow said as he pointed across the training grounds.

Making their way over to the group was Tatsumi, Sayo, Ieyasu, and Mine. Each had their weapon of choice on hand.

"All right kiddies, Mine and Sayo are with me. Tatsumi and Ieyasu are with Akame."

The training progressed smoothly. Mine was having an easier time then Tatsumi and Ieyasu had at mastering her Aura, and Sayo was making good strides in combat thanks to her new teigu. Qrow had to keep his mind in check around Sayo when she had her teigu activated so as to make sure she didn't read his mind.

But other than that things were rather normal. Or, at least, as normal as things could be for a group of assassins.

 **(-)**

"Damn that Chibul guy had way too much protection!" complained Mine as she and Sheele sprinted through one of the capitals parks. "Talk about paranoid!"

"In the end it didn't cause too many problems though." responded Sheele.

Just as they were about to clear the park, a figure crashed into the ground between them and they separated. The figure was an auburn-haired girl along with a little dog-like creature by her side.

"An enemy?!" shouted Mine. _'Who is she?'_ thought Mine as she eyed the newcomer. She wore the armor of the garrison troops and had a certain 'aura' about her. _'I didn't sense her presence at all... She's completely different then the other guards.'_ Mine then eyed one of the nearby trees and spotted a crow perched on its branch. _'Good'_

"I knew it." the girl said in a dark tone. "You're definitely Sheele from the wanted posters... A member of Night Raid! And judging from your friend teigu, she's a member of Night Raid too! I knew waiting until nightfall would prove fruitful... At last." a maniacal smile worked its way across the auburn-haired girls face. "At long last, I've found Night Raid!" the girl let out a sadistic laugh. "I am with the capital garrison, Seryu Ubiquitous! In the name of justice... I sentence you all to death!"

"So, I take it you just came her to die?" asked Mine as she unslung Pumpkin from her back. "Because anyone who see's our faces has to either join us or die."

"There is no way I am taking either of you in alive." Seryu said as she pointed at Mine and Sheele. "I will eliminate the both of you." her eyes hardened as she stared at the assassins. "My father died fighting evildoers like you! And your group killed my master and captain! I will never forgive you!"

"Sorry, but that ain't happening!" Mine said as she rotated Pumpkin's barrel so as to fire in full auto mode. Then, without warning, she opened fire on Seryu. "Those who make the first move are victorious!" however, Mine was surprised when she saw Seryu make no effortto dodge her volley of fire. "Did I get her?"

When the smoke cleared, the small dog had enlarged itself and had acted like a shield to defend Seryu.

"Tch, can never be that easy." grumbled Mine.

"Mine! That's a teigu!" Sheele shouted as she unsheathed Extase.

"Yeah, and it's a biological type as well..." Mine said with an annoyed huff. "This is gonna be tough."

"Eat this!" Seryu yelled as she raised two tonfa guns and fired at the assassins.

Mine and Sheele were prepared for the attack and retreated to a safer distance.

Seryu then turned to her teigu. "Koro! Prey!"

The biological teigu roared as it raced towards Sheele, its massive mouth opening to reveal rows of razor sharp teeth. However Sheele remained calm and stood her ground. She raised Extase and cut the teigu's head off, its body flying behind her.

"I'm sorry." spoke Sheele.

Seryu just grinned madly.

"Sheele!" shouted Mine as she fired a blast from Pumkin at the recovering teigu which sent it flying. "Don't you remember what's written in the book Sheele? Biological type teigu have a core hidden somewhere in their bodies. If you don't destroy that then they keep regenerating." Mine then grit her teeth as she leveled Pumpkin at Koro. "It doesn't have a heart so even Akame's Murasame wouldn't work on it."

"It would seem we have quite the troublesome opponent this time, huh?" Sheele said as she began to sweat.

"Yeah. But nothing we can't handle!" responded Mine.

"We'll see about that." spoke Seryu coldly. "Koro, Arms." she ordered.

At her words the teigu's stubby arms became large and grotesquely muscular.

"That's just all kinds of gross..." spoke Mine. "But we still have the upper hand."

"I don't know where you get this confidence from. But allow me to crush it!" shouted Seryu as she pulled out a whistle. She blew on the whistle, but all the came out was a pathetic whine. "What?! It's broken!" exclaimed Seryu as she examined the whistle to find a crack in it. "Damn it! Whatever, I can handle you myself! Pulverize!" Seryu ordered Koro as she pointed at Sheele and Mine.

the biological teigu sent out a flurry of punches directed at the duo.

"What?! There's no way to dodge!" shouted Mine.

"Mine, Get behind me!" yelled Sheele as she used Extase to guard against the attacks.

"Hah, ha, ha!" laughed Seryu. "The two of you never stood a chance against me! Hah, ha ha-"

Seryu's laugh was cut off when a large blade pierced through her chest. She looked down at the offending object in disbelief before coughing up blood.

"Wha...?"

The blade was removed from her body and Koro immediately halted its assault to race to its wounded master.

"Koro... hel-"

The was the last thing Seryu Ubiquitous ever uttered as the blade came down on her neck and decapitated her. Moments later the biological teigu transformed back into its small dog form and stopped moving entirely.

Mine and Sheele looked on in approval at Qrow who had just dealt the final blow.

"Nice job Qrow." Mine said as she walked over to the man.

"No problem." he responded as he stared at Seryu's lifeless body. He didn't like the fact that he had to kill her. She was just a misguided girl, albeit a very dangerous one. It was either her or them. But no matter how much he rationalized it, he still didn't like having to kill someone so young.

"You coming?" Sheele asked as she shook Qrow's shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"We need to get going. Our mission is done. Now grab that teigu and lets go!" shouted Mine.

"Sure." responded Qrow.

 **(-)**

 **A/N- I hope you like how I handled Seryu.**

 **I personally hated her, not just because she killed Sheele, but just because of the type of person she is.**

 **Anyway, don't worry about the Jaegers. I have a plan for them and there will still be six. Who will be the sixth? Only I know.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N- OH... MY... GOD! Here we are! Chapter 8! I want to thank you all for the support you are giving me in this endeavor. It's nice to see so many reviews, favorites, and follows. This story just broke 200 follows and 140 favorites. And this is by far the longest chapter so far.**

 **I hope you like this chapter and what I did in it. Be sure to leave a review.**

 **Also, I've been tossing around the idea of adding Chelsea to Tatsumi's mini-harem. What do you think?**

 **And seeing as how Halloween is around the corner, in lieu of candy I would like favorites.**

 **Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!**

 **(-)**

Several days had passed since the encounter with Seryu. And after some testing it was determined that no one was compatible with the teigu Hekatonkheir. So the pooch was shipped off to the Revolutionary forces HQ.

Things were going rather well with every ones training. Both Mine and Sayo had mastered their Aura and were now able to draw out its true strength just like Tatsumi and Ieyasu.

"Faster!" shouted Qrow as he dodged another arrow from Sayo.

The girl quickly drew back the bow again as she readied another arrow. As she let the arrow fly, Qrow was quickly bearing down on her with Thanatos. This time he sliced the arrow out of the air before he slashed at Sayo's chest. The girl was unable to block the strike and suffered damage to her Aura as well as fell back on the ground.

"Hurry up and recover! Your enemies won't wait for you to counterattack.!" shouted Qrow.

Sayo rolled backwards and stood up, dodging another strike from Qrow in the process. She then followed up by slashing at him with her bow blades.

Qrow brought his sword up in defense and Sayo's bow bounced off of it harmlessly. The two continued to clash in a flurry of blades, neither one willing to back down. But in the end it was Qrow's win as he slashed at Sayo's Aura one last time. She faintly glowed light green before it shattered.

"Well done. You lasted 10 seconds more than yesterday." praised Qrow.

"Hahh... That doesn't sound like much." huffed Sayo.

"Trust me, in a battle of attrition those 10 seconds can make all the difference."

"I guess so."

"Anyway, why don't we leave it at that? Akame and Tatsumi are probably finishing making breakfast by now."

"Sounds good to me."

 **(-)**

Akame was busy preparing breakfast with Tatsumi in the bases kitchen. The entire time she was cooking her mind kept going back to her discussion with Qrow and Leone.

 _You're in love with Tatsumi._

Akame slapped her cheeks to refocus herself.

"Akame. Are you alright?" asked Tatsumi.

"Yes. I'm fine."

Tatsumi wasn't buying it. He had known this girl long enough to know when something was up. She was being especially quiet today and was occasionally making clumsy mistakes. Her mind was obviously elsewhere.

"You know Akame, if there is ever anything bothering you, you can always confide in me. I'm a good listener." Tatsumi said as he chopped up some fruit.

"Thanks, but it's complicated." responded Akame as she fried some bacon.

"Akame! Watch it!" shouted Tatsumi.

"Wha?"

Tatsumi reached over just in time to grab a flaming oven mitt that was near the stove and threw it into the sink. He turned on the water and doused the flames.

"What's wrong Akame? You're not like this. You've never made a mistake in the kitchen." Tatsumi spoke with concern.

Akame looked into his eyes. _'There it is again. That feeling. He's so kind and caring. Am I really in love with him?'_

"Akame?" Tatsumi called out to the zoned out girl.

Suddenly Akame leaned forward and gently crashed her lips against Tatsumi's.

The male assassins eyes widened in surprise at the action. He did not see that coming. And just as suddenly as it happened, it ended. Akame pulled back with a blush on her face.

"What?" uttered Tatsumi dumbly.

Akame turned away and ran. She ran right out of the kitchen and nearly ran over Bulat.

"Whoa! What's the matter Akame?" the man asked as she sped past. He then turned towards Tatsumi. "Any idea what that was about?"

"I think I know. But it's kind of complicated I guess." Tatsumi said as he took off his apron. "Sorry aniki, but can I ask you to finish up breakfast? I need to find Akame."

"Sure thing. It must be important given the look on her face."

Tatsumi rushed down the hall after Akame. He had no idea where she was headed, so he decided to check the obvious spots first. Her room? No. Training grounds? No. Broom closet? No.

Tatsumi was running himself ragged looking for the dark haired girl. He had scoured nearly every inch of the base and had no doubt missed breakfast by now. Then it hit him. Akame would probably be hungry as well. He then remembered the campsite by the river where Leone formally introduced her to him. It was worth a shot.

After a short walk Tatsumi ended up at the river. He could see smoke billowing above the treeline downstream.

"Found her."

Upon arriving at the site, Tatsumi was greeted by the sight of a danger beast being roasted over a fire. It was a large jackaleo. Quite the impressive kill. And sitting nearby, eating quietly was Akame.

Thew two made eye contact and Akame got up in preparation to bolt again.

"Wait Akame!" shouted Tatsumi as he rushed over with Aura enhanced speed and grabbed the girl by the wrist. "Why did you run away from me?"

The girl silently struggled in his grasp, but his grip was too strong.

"I want an answer Akame. Why did you run? Why did you kiss me?"

Akame stopped struggling. "... Why does anybody kiss anyone? It's because they like them." she spoke in a whisper. She then turned to look Tatsumi in the eyes. "I... I love you."

Tatsumi was speechless. This was something he had never expected to happen. Akame, confessing her feelings to him. The girl then leaned in and pressed her chest against his. Her head burrowed into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry if I stole your first kiss. It's just that... we're assassins. Any day could be our last. And I don't want to die with regrets." she spoke with conviction. "Every time I'm around you I feel happy. You praise me and I feel my heart beat faster. My face heats up every time our eyes meet."

Tatsumi could hear Akame faintly crying.

"Even if you don't feel the same way... I still want you to know how I feel."

"...Akame. I... never really thought about this." responded Tatsumi. However the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he felt something akin to love for Akame as well. She always pushed him to his limits, all for his own good. She took care of him, bonded with him on missions and while hunting. The two were extremely close. How could he not see it sooner?

"I don't care if you love someone else... but please!" she sobbed as she looked up into Tatsumi's eyes. "Please tell me there is room in your heart for me! I don't care if I'm first, second, third, or fourth. Just please..." she said weakly. "If there is even a tiny part of you that feels the same way... say it. Tell me you love me."

Tatsumi cupped Akame's chin and raised it up. He then pressed his lips against hers in a tender kiss. Akame's eyes were wide in surprise, but eventually she closed them and leaned into the kiss as well. After a few moments the initially chaste kiss gave way to a more mature one. Tatsumi opened his mouth and prodded Akame's lips with his tongue. The dark haired girl complied with his request and opened her mouth as well. The two of them tongue wrestled for dominance as the kiss became more and more heated.

Eventually they had to separate to catch their breaths. But when they did, they could see the want in each others eyes. They were truly in love, and nothing could change that.

Akame hugged Tatsumi tightly. "Thank you." she said as Tatsumi returned the embrace.

"Tatsumi..." she spoke through trembling lips.

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared."

Tatsumi raised a brow at this. What on earth could Akame be afraid of. "Of what?"

"Of loving you. I've lost so many friends before. I take the time to get to know them and then they all die. I can't stand to have that happen again. I can't stand to lose you."

"Don't worry Akame. I won't die. I promise you that. I will get strong. So strong that no one would dare to challenge me. Strong enough to protect myself. Strong enough to protect you, and everyone else. You will never have to mourn the loss of a friend ever again."

Akame began lightly crying tears of joy into Tatsumi's shoulder as he patted her back.

The two of them were in their own little world. So much so that they didn't notice the busty blonde hiding in the nearby bushes.

"Oh I am so going to tease them about this." she said before heading back to base.

 **(-)**

Tatsumi and Leone snuck in to the estate of the Kobore brothers. They were a couple of civil servants who are underlings of the minister. They are villains who do more than their fair share of the dirty work and are rotting the capital.

The duo silently rushed through the halls of the estate until they found their targets. The two brothers were in the middle of dinner. Tatsumi and Leone pressed their bodies against the doorway that led into the dining room. Tatsumi waited for Leone's signal and then they charged.

Tatsumi stabbed one brother through the heart whilst Leone snapped the others neck. Their bodies fell dead onto the table and knocked over a bottle which hit the floor and shattered.

"Time to go." spoke Leone.

The duo rushed out of the room, but Tatsumi paused when he heard another door open

"Daddy? What was that noise?" asked a young voice.

Tatsumi froze in place down the hall. He had no idea there was a kid.

"Daddy!"

Tatsumi quickly regained his composure and ran after Leone.

They ran for a good 20 minutes before stopping at a stream for a break. Leone was refilling her canteen while Tatsumi washed the blood off of his sword.

"Shit!" cursed Tatsumi as he laid his sword down, his hands trembling in both rage and disgust. "He was a villain who tricked and abused people. Yet to his child he was just a good father, right?" he then picked up his sword and resumed washing the bloodstains off, this time more vigorously.

"You can try for the rest of your life, but that stain will always remain with you." spoke Leone.

"A stain... is it?" asked Tatsumi somberly.

Leone nodded her head.

"I'll live with it for the rest of my life. A stain upon my soul that will never wash away..."

Leone then turned Tatsumi around and hugged him, burying his face in her bosom. "I get worried knowing that you're just too kindhearted. That's why I gotta keep checking on you."

"You just have greater mental fortitude. Right nee-san?" came Tatsumi's muffled response.

The two stood up and separated.

"Will you tell me how you got into this line of work?" asked Tatsumi.

"I beat up some assholes I didn't like, and then I got scouted." she answered plainly.

...

"Wait... That's it?!" shouted Tatsumi. "Then how did you get that teigu?!"

Leone shook her belt around for a moment. "I talked a black market dealer into selling it to me. Turned out it was actually a teigu."

"Isn't that just a little too good of a bargain?! I mean, a teigu..." started Tatsumi.

"Well, it seemed that nobody could synchronize with it and make it transform. So no one knew what a great find it was." answered Leone.

"So... why are you an assassin?"

"Well..." Leone said as she scratched her chin in thought. "I think it started when I saw some aristocrats playing a game where they trampled kids from the slums with their horses. Seeing that pissed me off, so I killed them."

"Nee-san..."

"But I didn't stop there. I took a liking to dealing with evil bastards like that, you see. The prime minister, who does whatever he likes while enjoying his unrivaled political power would be the ultimate prey." Leone then smiled wickedly. "So that the people can be happy, I will kill him in such a way that it will make everything he's done up to that point tame by comparison."

Now Tatsumi understood just what type of person Leone was. A killer, plain and simple. But there was more to it than that. She was doing it for the good of society. She is the type of person not to let injustice stand.

"Well, I was always a good-for-nothing scoundrel, so I never went and got depressed over it or anything."

"Don't say that!" barked Tatsumi, which surprised Leone. "You're not a good-for-nothing scoundrel! You're a good person! It doesn't matter if you're a killer, you still do it for a just cause!"

Leone frowned. "Tatsumi. Although we walk with darkness to preserve the light, that changes nothing. I enjoy killing villains like that. I live for it. When the day comes that I have no one left to kill... I don't know what will happen. Maybe I'll just disappear in the wind."

"Plenty of people enjoy their jobs. Even if it is killing. It's only natural. But even if you are bathed in darkness, I can still see the light within you. And when the day comes that you have no more enemies, I'll be there beside you. I'll help you find a new place in life!" Tatsumi said with conviction.

"Tatsumi..." Leone whispered as she pulled Tatsumi into another hug. "If you keep talking like that I might fall for you. And Akame wouldn't like that, would she?"

"Wha?! What does Akame have to do with this?!" Tatsumi screamed as he separated from Leone.

"Oh don't play dumb. I saw how you and her shared a passionate kiss down by the river." Leone said as she wriggled her body. "Perhaps I can give you a few pointers on the finer parts of a woman~."

"Uhh, we should head back now." spoke a flustered Tatsumi.

"Hah, ha, ha! Sure thing!" Leone laughed as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

 **(-)**

It was morning and Tatsumi was training with Akame. His Aura boosted strength and speed allowed him to keep up with the veteran assassin, but he still had trouble matching her skill. The girl struck him in the back when his attack missed and he fell to the ground. However he wasn't down long. Having Aura meant he could keep fighting for longer, and the scrapes and bruises he had accrued were already healed.

"Again!" he shouted as he charged Akame.

Tatsumi went for a feint to the right, but Akame saw through it and counterattacked. He then followed up with a heavy overhead swing in an attempt to overpower her defense. The girl deflected the training sword to the side as she knew she couldn't beat Tatsumi in a contest of strength. At least not anymore.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" asked a familiar voice.

The two turned to see Bulat approaching.

"Ah, aniki. We were just sparring is all." answered Tatsumi.

"Sparring eh? Well, you seem to be a lot more into it than usual." mused Bulat.

"Yeah well, I promised Akame I wouldn't die. So I have to train hard to keep that promise. I don't want her to have to lose anymore friends." Tatsumi said resolutely.

Bulat didn't miss the way Akame blushed at Tatsumi's words. "Oh ho! Doing it for Akame eh?"

"'Oh ho' what?"

With a flourish of his hands, Bulat shot Tatsumi a smile and a thumbs up. "I see what's going on. You and Akame are a couple."

"W-wha-what?! How did you figure it out?!"

"Oh, Leone told me." Bulat answered plainly.

"Grr! Leone!" grumbled Tatsumi as he wildly scratched his head.

"Ah, ha, ha, ha!" guffawed Bulat. "It's nothing to be ashamed of or anything Tatsumi. Just nice to see that love can blossom in these hard times. I hope for the best for you. This line of work is dangerous and any mission could be our last. So it helps to live without regrets."

"Thanks aniki."

Bulat then cleared his throat. "Anyway, how about you train with me?"

"What? Really?!" Tatsumi said excitedly.

"Yep. I'll turn you into a real man. By the time we're done you'll be loads stronger." assured Bulat. "That is, if Akame is okay with relinquishing you over to me."

"Go ahead." Akame replied. "It will be good for him."

"Alright!" Tatsumi fist pumped. "What's first aniki?"

"Get your stuff together and meet me at the bases entrance. Then we'll head out to my favorite training spot."

 **(-)**

Some time later the duo were up in the mountains far from Night Raid's base.

"This is the first time I've been so deep in the mountains." spoke Tatsumi between breaths. "And it's getting really foggy."

"This whole area is a fake mountain. Being here is about as dangerous as being in the capital." responded Bulat.

"You don't say..."

Seconds later a massive tree branch swung at Tatsumi who was barely able to dodge in time.

"What the hell?!" Tatsumi exclaimed as he turned to face the attacking tree.

Bulat spun his spear in his hand before throwing it into the large eye on the tree. The creature fell down dead and Bulat retrieved his spear. "Tree beasts. Don't space out unless you want to get eaten." he warned.

Suddenly a horde of trees and rocks with eyes began bearing down on the two assassins.

"This place is filled with danger beasts that are adept at camouflaging themselves." explained Bulat. "Having you fight the creatures here should raise your battle awareness by quite a bit. You are all fired up about surviving no matter what right?"

"Yeah!" Tatsumi roared as he unsheathed his sword.

"We'll take the edible creatures to the nearby village. Since we're also doing a good deed, give it your best!" Bulat said as he took up a fighting stance.

"Great thinking aniki!"

Bulat then turned to briefly face Tatsumi. "And, if you should be injured, I'll be sure to nurse you back to health down at base camp." he said with a slight blush.

"Why are you blushing while saying that?!"

Tatsumi then shook off the creepy vibe he was getting and charged at the danger beasts alongside Bulat.

The duo descended upon the horde with steel in hand and destroyed any and all opposition. Bulat sliced a tree beast in half before spinning around and stabbing a rock beast in the eye. He then picked the beast up with his spear and threw it at another danger beast, knocking it over in the process. While he was doing this, Tatsumi weaved between the swinging branches of several tree beasts and sliced across their chests with Aura enhanced strength.

The horde was undeterred by this and continued its assault. Rock and tree beasts swarmed towards the assassins who in turn would cut them down.

"You're doing pretty good Tatsumi!" praised Bulat as he cut down another tree.

"Thanks aniki!" responded Tatsumi as he dived out of the way of a swinging branch.

"Most people would be struggling under such an assault, but you are handling yourself quite well."

"I have my Aura to thank for that. I'm sure that without it I wouldn't be half as good as I am now."

Bulat stomped on the eye of a rock beast. "Be that as it may, it is still your strength and you are doing fine job at utilizing it. Behind you!"

Tatsumi spun on his heel and sliced a tree beast in half. "That makes nine. How many have you got aniki?"

"Twelve. You're doing a good job of keeping up. Qrow and Akame have taught you well."

"And I'm sure you'll do just as well!"

"That's right Tatsumi! Now really show me your fighting spirit!"

"Hahhh!" roared Tatsumi as he jumped up towards a particularly tall tree beast and stabbed it in the eye. However the creature was still alive somehow and reached to grab Tatsumi. "How about this?!"

Tatsumi cocked his fist back and prepared to ram it in the tree beasts eye using his Aura. However, as he did so, his fist became engulfed in light. And when the punch made contact with the beast, a beam of light blew a hole straight through it and out the other side.

Tatsumi fell back to the ground with sword in one hand while he looked at the other in astonishment.

"What the hell was that?"

"Yo Tatsumi! What was that?!" called out Bulat.

"I don't know!" answered Tatsumi. Deciding to try and replicate the phenomenon, he enhanced his strength with Aura again and focused on his hand. It began to glow with light. Tatsumi then made a punching motion towards the nearest beast and to his and Bulat's surprise, a beam of light shot from his hand and bore into the beast, killing it.

Tatsumi grinned. "That. Was. Awesome!" he shouted as he raised his fist into the air. He still had no idea what this new ability of his was, but he liked it.

Both assassins continued to kill the attacking danger beasts. Bulat with his spear and Tatsumi with his sword and light beams. As the fight continued, Tatsumi became able to form light in the air in a swirling mass and unleashed it upon the danger beasts. Light rained down upon them. It perforated them, burned them, blew them apart. Tatsumi was having the time of his life as he reduced the number of danger beasts with light alone. Soon enough they were all dead and the two had a moment to reflect on what had occurred.

"Just what is that light?" wondered Bulat as Tatsumi summoned a ball of light in his hands. It floated in the air just above his palm. Tatsumi then began juggling the ball and bouncing it off of different parts of his body.

"No idea." responded Tatsumi who then grabbed the ball and threw it towards a rock.

As soon as the ball made contact it exploded in a bright flash, taking a chunk out of the rock.

"But I love whatever it is."

"Wait. Do you remember when Qrow first explained what Aura was?" asked Bulat.

"Yeah? What of it?"

"He then went on to speak of Semblances. He said it was Aura given a more tangible form. A manifestation of one's innate and personal power as a unique ability. This might be your Semblance." mused Bulat.

"Cool." Tatsumi uttered as he looked down at his hands.

"Anyway, enough of that for now. Let's get some of this meat to the nearby village." Bulat said as he began to collect the danger beast bodies.

 **(-)**

The entire Night Raid team was gathered in the bases meeting room. They stood at the ready as Najenda sat in her usual chair. However there was a rather solemn look on her face.

"Good, everyone is here." she started. "I have some bad news to relay to you all." she raised one finger. "First, we have lost contact with our regional team."

"Regional team?" Ieyasu repeated with a confused look.

"The Empire is vast." Akame explained, crossing her arms under her chest. "We specialize in carrying out assassinations in the capital, but there is another team that handles the areas around it."

Najenda let out a slight sigh. "It's currently being investigated, but the likelihood that they are dead is high. So be prepared for that."

Everyone looked somber at the news.

"For the time being, I think it's best that we increase security around our base." she added.

"Alright, I'll increase the range of my wires." responded Lubbock.

"Good. As soon as we are finished you can get on that." Najenda said as her eyes hardened. "The second piece of bad news, is that Esdeath has finished conquering the north, and has returned to the capital."

The mood suddenly took a dive.

"Shit..." muttered Qrow as he pulled out his flask.

"Give me some too." spoke Leone.

"That was much faster then anyone thought it would be." sighed Akame. "It seems you were right Qrow."

"Somehow the fact that I was right doesn't make me feel any better."

"She's always been a thorn in our side." said Lubbock as he scratched the back of his head in irritation. "Every move she makes hinders us in some way."

"It seems her army has been left in the north to keep order though. A lucky break for us." Najenda said as she pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"Then it's safe to say that she wasn't brought back to deal with the revolutionary army then, right?" Bulat spoke.

"Even so, her presence is more then enough of a problem." said Sheele.

"I can't figure out what her next move will be." Najenda said as she lit her cigarette. "Currently, it seems that she is throwing herself into her work at the governments torture facilities." she took a long drag from her cigarette. "Leone."

"Yes."

"I want you to go to the capital and monitor her movements."

"Roger!" Leone responded enthusiastically. "I've always wanted to know what kind of person she is."

"She's a homicidal maniac who loves torture and slaughter. Be on you're guard." warned Najenda.

"Alright, alright." Leone responded with a wave.

"... Perhaps I should go instead." spoke Qrow. He noticed the look Leone had in her eyes and it wasn't good. "I can watch her inconspicuously as a crow. And besides, I already have something to take care of in the capital."

"What?!" screamed Leone.

"Hmm, very well. Qrow, I'll leave it to you." spoke Najenda.

Leone growled and shot Qrow a dirty look.

"And finally, there has been a recent string of murders in the capital. The targets are civil officials. The deaths include 4 officials and 61 bodyguards." Najenda said as she pulled out a flier. "The main problem is this. These fliers have been left at the scene of each crime. They are incriminating us."

"They're framing us for the crime? It's easy to see they're fakes, right?" Bulat said as he crossed his arms.

"But people aren't stupid enough to fall for this, are they?" asked Sayo. "I mean, this totally isn't our style, taking credit for work like that."

"It was like that a first." said Najenda, letting out a heavy sigh. "But now more and more people are starting to believe the rumors. With each incident the strongest guards were all killed. The latest victim, former minister Chouri, lost almost 30 of his guards... along with his daughter, who was trained at the Temple of the Imperial fist. People believe that we are the only ones who could cause so much damage and get away with it."

"The criminals equal us in strength." Akame mused as she rubbed her chin. "In other words, they must possess teigu's."

"All of these victims were simply innocent men and women who didn't like the way the minister was running the Empire. Which made them all people the minister would despise." Najenda explained. "Which means the minister had them killed... and is blaming us for it."

"Could this also be a trap? To lure us out?" asked Bulat.

"I realize this could be a trap, but I wanted to inform you anyway. None of the victims had any affiliation with the Rebel army. They were all simply concerned for their country." Najenda said as she balled her fists. "All of them were the type of civil servants we need for our new nation. We can't afford to lose anymore people like them. I think we need to find these impostors and grind them into dust! What say you?!"

"I... don't really understand stuff like politics, but..." Tatsumi said as he clenched his fists. "Using Night Raid's name to commit these crimes... It pisses me off!"

"That's right." spoke Bulat with a toothy grin. "I couldn't have put it better myself!"

Following Tatsumi and Bulat's exclamations, the rest of the group joined in a cheer.

"Okay. It's decided then." said Najenda sinisterly. "What should we do with the fools who used our name?! Let's go teach them the law of the assassin's!" Najenda shouted as she threw on her coat. "There are about 5 officials who we suspect are being targeted. Of those, only a few have plans to leave the capital soon. We've narrowed it down to two officials. Akame and Leone will defend one target, and Bulat and Tatsumi will defend the other. Sayo, Ieyasu, I want you to do some recon in the capital. And Mine, Sheele, and Lubbock will remain here on standby and bolster our defenses. Any questions?"

The group remained silent.

"Good, now move out!"

The group dispersed to go about their missions, but first Tatsumi had to speak with Qrow.

"Qrow!" he called out.

"Yeah kid?" Qrow asked lazily.

"I discovered my Semblance!"

"Ho? Good for you. Although I can't go into details about it right now, just remember that your Aura is what powers your Semblance. Once it's out, then you can't use it anymore. When I get back I'll help you train if I have time. But Semblance training is more about endurance and depends on the users Semblance. So you'll have to come up with your own training regimen."

"Got it!" Tatsumi nodded.

 **(-)**

"HUUUUUUUUGE!" shouted Tatsumi as he stared at the massive ship that their target would be on.

Next to him stood Bulat who was invisible thanks to Incursio. The large man placed a hand on Tatsumi's shoulder. "Try to tone it back a bit. We're undercover here."

Tatsumi nodded. "Got it."

The two of them headed up the gangplank as Tatsumi adjusted his tie. Because Tatsumi was going undercover, he had to blend in with the party goers. That being said, he was not really into the whole 'suit and tie' affair. Finally making his way onto the deck, he was able to take in the grandness of the party.

"Man, this is quite the ritzy party." he said as he gaped at everything.

He stopped when he felt Bulat tap him on the shoulder again. "Remember your cover; you are the son of a wealthy landowner. You can't act so impressed by the wealth you see here or you'll stick out."

"Yeah, you're right aniki." Tatsumi said as he remembered his training with Mine. How to blend in with the crowd and remain inconspicuous.

Tatsumi headed over to the railing and looked out over the large gathered crowd on the dock who were watching the ship launch. "Hnn, so many people." he then turned and leaned his back against the railing with his eyes closed. _'It's possible that the Night Raid imposters might strike here but...'_ he thought as opened his eyes. "There are so many people here." he then glanced over at their target to defend who was surrounded by guards. "The gramps we have to protect is surrounded by a meat shield. This way it should be impossible for him to be assassinated, right? I guess coming here was a miss." Tatsumi said as he shrugged.

As he said this he felt Bulat thump the back of his head.

"Ouch!"

"Deciding that on your own is negligent Tatsumi." spoke Bulat.

"Ah, aniki."

"My invisibility will give me the upper hand against our enemies. We have no idea whether or not our enemies have similar tricks up their sleeves. So don't let your guard down."

"I know, I know. Just saying that we might not have picked the winning ticket. Not like I was gonna let my guard down or anything."

"That is good Tatsumi."

"By the way aniki, how many times do you plan on hitting me?"

"Think of them as love taps."

"Love... taps...?"

"Yeah. Taps of lo-" Bulat started in a sweet voice.

"You don't have to repeat yourself! I heard you the first time!" Tatsumi said as he recoiled away from Bulat who was giving off a disturbing vibe. "At any rate, that's quite the handy teigu you have there. You couldn't have infiltrated the ship without it."

"Yeah!" Bulat said as he slammed his fist against his chest. "I fought with this to the bitter end in the war against the southern races. It's like my partner. But... despite all my effort, I wasn't able to save my fellow general, Liver. He refused to send bribes to the minister and was taken prisoner. He planned to go off to the capital and plead his innocence, but the men held a grudge against me and the general and as such we were framed and labeled as criminals. I managed to make my escape using my teigu before they could capture me."

"That's so screwed up." Tatsumi muttered as he clenched his fists.

"Hnn."

"What is it aniki?"

"My invisibility is almost up. I'm gonna go patrol the inside of the ship. Can I leave out here to you?"

"You can count on me!"

"Good!" Bulat said as he took his leave.

Tatsumi let out a sigh as he began walking across the deck. "Hmm? Why do I hear a flute playing?"

Tatsumi passed it off at first, but then when everybody started falling unconscious it dawned upon him. Something was wrong. He felt his strength slowly being sapped away from him as the music continued.

' _Shit! It must be a teigu!'_ he thought as he fought to stay conscious.

"Ah, staying in hiding was so dull." came a voice from behind Tatsumi. He spun around and saw a large man making his way towards him. "Oh! Looks like there's still a little shit who's holding out against Scream. To bad for you. You might remeber what happens, so I'll have to kill you."

"You... You're one of the Night Raid impostors!" growled Tatsumi.

"Ah, so this here's one of the real ones. This is good!" the large man cheered in a delighted tone. He then bent over to a collapsed guard and picked up his sword before tossing it at Tatsumi. "Here, catch."

Tatsumi caught the sword and unsheathed it. "What are you doing?"

"Well, I want fighting experience you know? Because I, Daidara, wish to become the strongest!" Daidara said as he reached to his back and pulled out a double bladed ax. "Come at me with all you got Night Raid." he sneered.

Tatsumi scoffed. "As you wish. Just know that this is what you asked for."

The two warriors charged each other. Daidara started off with an overhead swing and brought his ax down on Tatsumi. However Tatsumi was faster thanks to his Aura and dodged to the side. Tatsumi then followed up by slashing at Daidara's exposed flank, but the man quickly brought his ax around and deflected the attack.

"Hoh! You're fast. Faster than I thought you could be while under Scream's affect. That is good!" the man roared as he split his ax into two and swiped at Tatsumi's legs.

Tatsumi jumped over the attack and kicked Daidara in the face. The man stumbled back a couple steps, but quickly recovered.

"Excellent! How about this?!" Daidara shouted as he threw one ax at Tatsumi.

The blade spun through the air aimed at Tatsumi's neck, but he ducked underneath. However he was caught off-guard when the ax continued to fly before curving back towards him. Not having time to dodge, the ax sliced across his chest, but because of his Aura, only his clothes were damaged.

"What?!" shouted Daidara.

"Hah! Nice try!" Tatsumi yelled as he watched the ax continue to fly through the air. It came back around at him from the front. "But not good enough!" Tatsumi swung his sword at the ax and deflected it back towards Daidara who caught it before it could hit him.

"Hmm, interesting. How did you not get injured by my Belvark? Do you have a teigu as well?" asked Daidara.

"I have no obligation to tell you." responded Tatsumi.

"Fine, be that way." Daidara said as he charged Tatsumi. "It will just make this more interesting!"

Tatsumi charged at Daidara as well with his sword drawn in front of him while he kept his free hand hidden behind his back.

"Die!" Daidara shouted as he brought his axes down on Tatsumi.

The young assassin deflected one ax with his sword and let the other hit his shoulder, his Aura taking the brunt of the damage. "Took the words right out of my mouth." Tatsumi said as he revealed his free hand to Daidara which held a white orb.

"What?!"

"Light Blast!" He then slammed the orb into Daidara's chest. There was a brilliant flash of light and when it died down, Daidara fell backwards with a large hole in his chest. He was dead.

"How's that for an experience?" asked Tatsumi. He then leaned down to get a better look at Daidara's teigu. "I wonder if Ieyasu would like these?"

Suddenly sensing someone behind him, Tatsumi spun to see two more people coming to attack him. A tall silver haired man and a young boy by the looks of it.

Tatsumi prepared to intercept them, but was saved the trouble when Bulat rushed in and sent the two flying.

"That was excellent work Tatsumi!" Bulat said with a thumbs up. "I saw the whole fight. You did an excellent job of handling Daidara. Now leave these two to me." Bulat said as he faced his opponents.

"Thanks for the save aniki! You're so strong!"

"But of course!" exclaimed Bulat in a cheerful tone. "My nickname during my army day was 'One-Hundred-Killer Bulat,' did you know that?"

"If you wanted to be more accurate..." started the silver haired man as he got back up. "It was 128 to be exact. You were busy taking on special forces back then. That teigu... that incredible strength... it has to be you Bulat!"

"So it's you general Liver?" Bulat asked as he turned to face the man.

"I'm no longer a general." Liver said as he clutched the cross around his neck. "After master Esdeath saved me, I have been her ever loyal servant."

Bulat sighed. "If you were my ally..." Bulat said as he spun his spear, Neuntote. "I would take you out for drinks to celebrate. But... If you've come here as my enemy, then I have no choice but to kill you! I must carry out my mission!"

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Liver said as he removed his gloves, revealing a ring. "I absolutely must complete this mission. And I will, using this teigu gifted to me by my master!" Liver raised his arm and water exploded out of several barrels around him. "It's quite fortunate that I'm fighting you here." Liver said, launching the pillars of water at Bulat, who easily cut them down with his spear.

"Water control huh? Fitting since your master can control ice." mused Bulat as he dodged another volley.

"Yes." Liver said as his eyes darkened. "However, unlike Esdeath who can create ice from nothing, I would be helpless without water around me. She truly is awe-inspiring. No one can equal her!" he shouted as he clenched his fist, sending another barrage at Bulat. "Water Barrage!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself!" shouted Bulat as he spun his spear like a propeller to deflect the water.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tatsumi spotted the boy recovering and was about to play his flute again. "Oh no you don't!" shouted Tatsumi as he charged the boy with his sword.

The boy casually blocked Tatsumi's sword with his flute, but began to buckle under the strength of Tatsumi's Aura.

"What the hell are you?! Where does his strength come from?!" the boy said as he swung his flute outward to redirect Tatsumi's strength.

The two began to exchange blows with their weapons. The boy was fast, but Tatsumi was faster. And after a few clashes the boy had a considerable number of nicks on his body.

"Damn it! Just what kind of trick are you using?! How are you faster then me?!" the boy shouted angrily.

"I've been trained by assassins much faster than you on a daily basis!"

"Grr! You bastard!" the boy roared as he rushed Tatsumi again.

Tatsumi blocked all the incoming attacks with ease as he had gotten used to the boys speed.

"Is that all you're capable of?" asked Tatsumi.

"Not even close!" shouted the boy. _'How the hell is he so fast?! He must have a teigu on him somewhere.'_

Both Tatsumi and the boy stopped their fighting when they heard a loud commotion next to them. Both of their eyes shot open when they saw Liver standing on a giant snake made of water.

"What the fuck?!" yelled Tatsumi.

"Ha, Ha! There's plenty of water here so there is no way Liver is going to lose!" the boy gloated as he glared at Tatsumi.

"No way! Aniki is going to kick his ass!"

"You'll be smashed by the water pressure of this next attack Bulat!" Liver roared as the snake of water shot forward towards Bulat. "Serpent of the Abyss!"

"UUUUOOOOHHHHH!" cried Bulat as he faced the serpent head on. He jumped and slashed right through the water construct.

"I figured you would launch yourself headlong at the snake." Liver said as he raised his hand. "However, now that you are no longer on the deck, you won't be able to dodge in mid-air!"

Several pillars of water erupted upwards and were aimed straight at Bulat. "Murky Lance!" the streams of water sharpened into spears at Liver's command.

Bulat grunted in pain as the water slammed into his chest. "A little water..." he said through gritted teeth. "Won't be enough to extinguish the flames of my passion!"

"Yes. I knew that wouldn't be enough to defeat you." spoke Liver as he landed on deck and collected himself. Several water dragons formed around Liver as the sapphire on his ring teigu began to glow. "We've tread across countless battlefields before. Your strength, your valor, I know them better than anyone." the dragons faced Bulat. "Which is why I'm going to show you my strongest attack! Water Dragon's Divine Conquest!" Bulat was hit by the attack and seemingly swept away by the water. Dropping his guard slightly, Liver let out a shaky breath. "Got him."

"This isn't the time to be spouting those nonsense words!"

Liver looked up to see Bulat falling towards him with spear at the ready.

"Save them for when the opponent is truly finished!" roared Bulat as he descended upon Liver. His blade sunk into flesh even as Liver tried to dodge out of the way.

"Liver!" yelled the boy Tatsumi was fighting as he saw his ally get injured. He tried to run to his aid, but...

"Not a chance in hell!" shouted Tatsumi as he cocked back his fist.

The boy turned his head around to see Tatsumi rapidly approaching.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to put your back to your opponent?!" Tatsumi's fist made contact with the boy's back. "Light Impact!" a brilliant glow engulfed Tatsumi's fist and sent a shock-wave ripping through the boy's body.

He fell to the ground and coughed up blood, but by some miracle he was still alive.

"Nyau!" shouted Liver as he held the wound on his shoulder.

"Looks like it's over for you guys." stated Bulat as Incursio deactivated to reveal his injured and soaking wet form. "You did well Tatsumi. Now it's time to finish this." he said as he returned his gaze to Liver.

"Hmm, it seems that Incursio lifts after a certain amount of damage is sustained." Liver commented with a smirk on his face. "Victory is within sight."

"What nonsense are you spouting. One of your ally's is dead and the other is dying. And you yourself have reached your limit for using your teigu as well. Plus there is also that gash in your shoulder. Your chances of victory have washed away." Bulat said.

"You got me..." Liver said with a light chuckle as he shot a glance at Nyau. He could tell the boy wouldn't be getting up again, let alone use his teigu. "And here I was hoping... to have the advantage during negotiations... Let me ask you one thing... Bulat... Will you join master Esdeath's forces?"

"I have no interest in serving the Empire again." Bulat responded without a moments hesitation.

"Not the Empire." spoke Liver. "Think about becoming a servant of master Esdeath. As I did when she saved me." Liver grabbed the cross around his neck. "Doing as you please. Being feared by others. Yes..." his eyes were consumed by rage. "Even those dirty bureaucrats always spreading their filthy politics! Consumed by their own power!" Liver held his hand out towards Bulat. "Come with me Bulat. I'm sure Esdeath can make your crimes dissappear."

Bulat was silent for a moment as he pulled out a comb. "I refuse." he said as he began to comb his hair back into its signature heart-shaped pompadour. "Killing all those politicians, that may be comfortable for you to do but, I've always been an ally of the people, right?" Bulat pointed his comb at Liver. "Eadeath's army supports the Prime minister. And that, I want nothing to do with."

Liver scoffed. "'Ally of the people'... I never thought I would hear an assassin spout such lofty words.

 **(-)**

"Giving them the emergency rice reserves. Now that is the type of politician that we need." said Leone as she and Akame watched their target from a distance.

"With this much rice, the people of the village should be able to pull through." added Akame quietly.

"Hmm, something the matter Akame?" asked Leone.

"... No... Nothing."

"Now don't you lie to me girl. I've known you long enough to be able to tell when somethings up. So spill it." Leone said as she took a seat next to Akame.

"..."

"Is it Tatsumi?"

Akame's face lit up.

"Got it in one." smirked Leone. "You're worried about your boyfriend."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Kind of. I mean, he's the only real thing for you to worry about right now."

"... Tatsumi."

Leone patted Akame on the back. "Don't worry 'bout him. He's got that kick-ass Aura to protect him along with Bulat. I'm sure they're fine."

Akame was still looking a little down even after Leone's assurances.

"Hey Akame?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Tatsumi would be interested in a threesome with you and me?" Leone asked.

"W-what?!"

The busty blonde grinned. That got Akame out of her funk.

 **(-)**

"If neither of us can use teigu's..." started Bulat.

"... Then we will have to finish this with swords." Liver finished. He then slid a syringe out from his sleeve and injected it into his arm. "Forgive me for doping, but you are my opponent after all."

"Aniki! This guy may be injured, but he still seems kind of dangerous!" shouted Tatsumi.

"I agree. He may still have some tricks up his sleeve. Stay back for now." instructed Bulat. He then pressed a button on his normal armor. After a loud hissing sound, a compartment opened up on Bulat's back to reveal a sword with a chain attached. "Let's go!"

The two charged each other and engaged in a battle of blades. Liver was injured, but the booster drug he injected was making up for what he lacked. However the battle was still going in Bulat's favor. His powerful strikes were too much for Liver and eventually he managed to deliver a mortal blow across his chest.

Liver fell backwards as blood spilled from his body. But he was grinning. "Secret Technique..."

Bulat's eyes widened as the blood that spilled out from Liver formed into spears.

"Blades of Blood!" Liver shouted as his blood shot towards Bulat.

' _Shit! I knew he was hiding something!'_ thought Bulat as he brought his sword up to guard. He deflected a good portion of the blood blades, but a few slipped past his guard and struck him in the arm and chest.

"Aniki!" Tatsumi called out as he ran over to Bulat, but not before finishing off Nyau with a stab to the heart.

"Don't worry Tatsumi. It's nothing fatal." assured Bulat. "Using his own lifeblood to attack... His determination is amazing. As soon as I saw his blood splashing about, I realised it was a form of liquid."

"Bulat..." Liver breathed out as he lay dying on the deck. "There is... one last thing... I wanted to tell you. The true reason I decided to join Esdeath's army." the former general said as he looked up at the sky. He remembered how Esdeath had visited him and offered her a chance at redemption. He spoke of how she came to him at his lowest and offered to help raise him back up. "I adored her." he said as he gripped his cross. "That is all!" he shouted as he sat up, a deranged smile on his face. "So, by Esdeath's will... I will not be dying without taking you with me!"

Suddenly Bulat coughed up blood.

'Aniki!" Tatsumi shouted in worry.

"That syringe... It was more than just a doping drug... wasn't it?"

"Correct. There was a deadly poison mixed in. There is no antidote. The poison is already flowing through your veins. There is no escape..." spoke Liver as he fell backwards one last time. "I'll be... going on... ahead..." he said as his eyes closed for the final time.

"Hah! As expected of my former boss. So it's a tie then!" Bulat said.

"Aniki! We need to get you some medical attention!"

"Forget about me Tatsumi. It's too late." Bulat said as he fell to the ground.

"No it isn't!"

"Tatsumi... listen... I'm entrusting this... to you..." Bulat spoke as he held out his sword. "This is Incursio's key. The armor will come to the one who possesses it."

"B-but... aniki..."

"I know you can do it Tatsumi... You have so much untapped potential... You can use Incursio..." Bulat said as he closed his eyes.

"Aniki!" cried Tatsumi. _'Damn it! There has to be something I can do! ...Wait... I know!'_

Tatsumi placed his hand on Bulat's head. "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of glory and virtue to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee."

Tatsumi faintly glowed before Bulat began to glow as well. After a few moments, his eye miraculously opened.

"T-Tatsumi?"

"You're gonna be okay aniki! I'll get you back to base in no time!" Tatsumi said as he held Incursio's blade. "INCURSIO!" he shouted.

Bulat watched in awe as the armor's form shifted to accommodate Tatsumi. After all was said and done, Tatsumi was donning the evolving armor. He grabbed Bulat and threw him over his shoulder. "Hold on tight! We need to get back as fast as possible!"


End file.
